Starting Over
by Lady Valtaya
Summary: Sasuke's finally got his revenge, but Naruto and the others have found him and the injured Uchiha is being taken back to Konoha- but to what destiny? How can they be lovers if they can't be friends?
1. Lost and Found

**Disclaimer**: Henceforth, from now until the end of this fic; I, Lady Valtaya, do solemnly swear that I do _NOT_ own any of these characters. I just love borrowing them to tell naughty stories.

**Author's note**: Furthermore, this is most definitely going to be a SasukexNaruto love story. But, like most of what I write, certain parts of it will be VERY dark in both tone and content. So, for your own sanity, please heed _**EVERY**_ warning issued in my beginning author's notes of each chapter from here on out, because flames will be sauted with butter, added to my eggs and eaten for breakfast, because I'm evil like that...

Chapter 1

The decrepit, musty lair of their long dead clan was silent and still, shrouded in darkness. He'd lived for years for the single minded purpose of revenge- and now that it was all over, he didn't know what to do anymore. He sighed, smoothing down his garments; he sat down on the dais of the throne near Itachi's headless body. He noticed his brother's head sitting beside him and snorted in disdain as he nudged his grisly trophy off the stone steps with his heel. It rolled leaving a small trail of sticky blood and came to rest on its side. The scratched forehead protector gleamed eerily in the darkness, but not as brightly as the blood red eyes that stared accusingly at him in obvious surprise.

_"As I expected, you are my child. You did well. From now on, you may shamelessly wear the family crest on your back. You must improve, and now you can soar to great heights. Also... I will say one thing..." _He froze remembering that day on the dock, those encouragement from his father had meant the world to him. _"__Do not follow after your brother."_ Those few words had been the only thing his father had ever asked of him, but right now they cut him deeply...

Sasuke forced himself to look away- because the expression on Itachi's face was the same pained look of disbelief that he had seen in the eyes of their parents, and for a moment he thought he might throw up...

He was truly alone now; his whole reason for existing was gone. Since Orochimaru was dead too, revenge was his, completely now, but Kakashi had been right. He felt nothing now that it was all over. All that was left of his heart was a hollow place he didn't recognize.

Thinking about Kakashi made him feel guilty because along with him came memories of Sakura and Naruto as well. He'd betrayed them all, so he had no right to miss them, but he couldn't help it. He'd always laughed at Naruto's naivety, but he was the one who'd been wrong about everything that had happened between them. All along, Naruto had been right; he still missed them. That meant deep down, he still hoped their friendship was unbroken- he knew that now.

He'd never trusted very many people, even before Itachi's betrayal but he knew that his friends had been more than fair with him. Naruto was rightfully angry but probably still determined to save him, after all, the shadow clone he'd run through had made no attempt to harm him or even defend itself.

He shifted uncomfortably, his joints were becoming stiff and swollen, so Itachi had been using _that_ poison, he shrugged. It didn't matter. It was already over, he'd always claimed he wanted to rebuild his clan, but that dream had never been as important as his revenge. Something stirred in the shadows across what little remained of the ancient ruin.

Sasuke smiled slightly. "Somehow I knew you'd be the first one here, Naruto."

"I always knew you'd find a way to beat him," Naruto said quietly, he stepped into the light, his blue eyes and blond hair gleamed in the moonlight. "That's why I never understood why you left."

"I needed to fight him before I became too much like him. I don't need to you understand what that means."

"You've never been like him, you're-"

"Have you forgotten that I left the village? I turned my back on everything we were raised to believe. I knocked out a teammate and then I almost killed you. You should be arresting me- unless you thought I would come back on my own."

"Do you remember a long time ago, when we were standing at Zabuza and Haku's graves and someone asked Kakashi-sensei if what those two told us about ninjas was really true?"

The unexpected question took Sasuke off guard, but he _did_ remember. Naruto had been trying to eat the funeral offerings and Sakura had stopped him, then she'd asked Kakashi a surprising question.

"_Were these two correct about Ninjas?"_

"_A shinobi isn't supposed to have his own goals. Becoming the country's tool is the most important; it's the same for the Leaf Village," Kakashi had answered Sakura's question in his usual quiet way._

_He remembered Naruto's response too. "Is that really what it means to become a true ninja? You know what, I don't like it." _

"_You believe that too?" Sasuke heard his younger self ask quietly._

"_Well," Kakashi had said after a moment. "Each and every ninja has had to live while dealing with that issue, just like Zabuza and that boy."_

_Naruto's expression had been amusingly sour when he'd proclaimed his final thoughts on that matter. "Okay, I just decided. I'm going to be a ninja in my own way."_

No one had taken his thoughts very seriously at the time, but Sasuke realized that Naruto had been true to his word; he _was_ different from the others that he'd known in the village. He always had been- because the strength of Naruto's one desire to find acceptance from others burned with the same intensity as Sasuke's desire for revenge. Naruto had understood the power of Sasuke's motivation all along…

"Why don't you hate me after everything I've done?" Sasuke asked suddenly.

"That day, on the river between those statues… No matter what you say, you're not a monster; you're not like _him_, Sasuke. Whatever you've done, you're not like him or you would have killed me. You're my best friend and I wish we could have been brothers, because I always wanted to help you fight him."

Sasuke was startled, but he shrugged coldly. "Illusions have always been a trouble spot for you; you would be dead if you'd tried to interfere in this battle."

"It would have been worth it to be able to help you."

"How can you say that?"

"You, Sakura, Kakashi and Iruka are the only family I've ever known. I can't just walk away from that, if someone attacks you, then they are going to have to deal with me too, that's just the way it is."

"You're persistent, but I've never asked for your help." Sasuke snorted, and stood up, he'd rested enough and the other Leaf ninjas had to be getting closer. The poison was spreading faster than he'd thought though; there was no way he'd make it to Karin now. Pain ripped though his stomach and cramped his muscles while his eyes blurred in and out of focus, finally he fell over, struggling just to breathe.

"Sasuke!" Naruto caught him, but it was hard to talk and he felt cold.

"You should… leave me here."

"No!" Naruto snarled, but he held him just as carefully as he had that day on the bridge when he'd collapsed after fighting Haku.

Sasuke looked up at Naruto; he could see his blue eyes, they stood out brilliantly among the shadows. They were the same eyes he'd seen every night when he was with Orochimaru for so long. They were so beautiful, so full of kindness that it hurt just to look into them.

_It hurts because I don't deserve to be looked at like that- especially by you_. "I lived just to kill my brother, I'm glad i-it's finally over; I don't care what happens to me now."

"It matters to me!" Naruto's eyes had tears forming in them. "So, don't say that, Sakura will be here soon, she can heal you. Granny Tsunade's been teaching her and she's really amazing..."

"I'm a traitor, remember? I have no interest in being publicly executed, Dobe."

"I doubt anyone would try to do that. I can't believe you killed both Orochimaru and Itachi single-handedly but you'd let a little poison beat you? Yeah, you've made mistakes but you're not all bad. So what about restoring your clan- or was that dream just bullshit because you were afraid that you'd never take your revenge at all?"

"My clan would be ashamed of everything I've done for revenge- especially my father."

"I don't believe that. We're free to choose our own fate, that's why you have to fight until the others get here. I don't want to loose you again- we're the same. You're my best friend, my brother- everything…"

"No, I just _killed_ my brother, Dobe…"

"I can see that, you stupid Teme! But I don't believe doing it was easy for you… I don't believe this… All I've ever wanted was to be close to you- but the only time you let me is when I'm about to loose you again."

The poison was making it too hard to think, but his feelings were only getting stronger. _I'll never be able to say it, but… he deserves to know that his memory was what allowed me to survive my time with Orochimaru_… Sasuke shivered, tearing his thoughts away from the dark Sannin, unwilling to admit the number of times he'd been forced to take comfort in his memories of his friends when he was with his cruel Sempai.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to Naruto's. He felt the other's body tense and freeze, but he didn't give up. Softly, he brushed his tongue against the blonde's lips; Naruto surprised him when he didn't pull away, but then again, it was a much different situation than their accidental kiss when they were twelve. Sasuke deepened the kiss slowly. The blond moaned softly as he parted his lips, allowing Sasuke to taste him. Instinctively, Naruto drew him closer and kissed him back just as gently.

It was hard to tell if it was just the poison or if it was the sensual kiss, but Sasuke was getting dizzy. Holding onto consciousness was getting harder, but he didn't want the sweet moment to end.

"W-Why?" The tears fell from Naruto's eyes when the kiss finally broke and they splashed Sasuke's cheek. "Why now- that isn't fair if you're just going to die…"

"That day… In the Valley of the End- I couldn't kill you- not even to awaken the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan..."

"W-What? Then why did you almost kill me at that creepy snake pit?"

"I wanted you to hate me… I wanted you to give up- go home and forget me… I had nothing but enemies on all sides. There was just too much to do and I couldn't accept how I felt… But… even after I killed Orochimaru- I still… missed you more than anything."

"Then why didn't you come back?"

"I knew… I'd die fighting him, so what would be the point?"

"And you're really okay with that?" Naruto was furious but Sasuke only smirked. "But what about your other dream? What about restoring your clan?"

Sasuke shook his head slowly. "It's better this way..."

"Naruto?" Sakura's voice came into the secret room from the darkness at the entrance. "Where are you? Have you found… S-Sasuke? Sasuke-kun!"

"Sakura-chan, hurry!" Naruto waved her over, but she was already running toward them. Kakashi arrived next, though he hung back, he looked as heartbroken as Sakura; he stared back and forth at the three of them.

"S-Sasuke…" Sakura said softly, there were tears in her beautiful green eyes even though her hands were still giving her chakra to him. "This isn't a normal poison…"

"I know."

"Sasuke! Tell me what you know about it. I've never seen anything like this. You can't let it end like this- please, you know we love you, Sasuke-kun."

"I never wanted you to find me at all… at least… " _not alive,_ Sasuke only added that in his head, but he saw the pain that flashed through Naruto's eyes and he cursed under his breath.

"All you've ever done is fight, Sasuke! How can you give up now?" Naruto demanded.

"Dying is easy- everyone has to go through it sometime. Eventually everything- animals, people, countries- even planets all die; it's living that takes courage but not everyone is as brave as you are, Naruto," Kakashi said coolly.

_That bastard… I don't really have a choice here- but he's right; I am letting Naruto beat me and taking the coward's way out if I don't at least let them _try_ to help._ Sasuke snorted, resentfully at his former sensei. "Sakura, focus your chakra on the cursed seal."

She gasped, "It isn't just taking your expendable chakra- it's attacking your whole life force- your Ki is disappearing. Why is the seal doing this? Usually you can use it to get stronger…"

"The cursed seal was created by a form of venom, remember; he bit me. That venom is still there and right now it's reacting to the poison Itachi was using. This poison is a counter for the cursed seal's power and it's been around for years; but the antidote is one of a kind, because only the Akatsuki know about the poison much less have access to it. It was Sasori- Orochimaru's ex partner who made it. After all, Orochimaru created the cursed seal to make his armies strong enough to help him fight his former allies... But I might have something better…"

"What is it? Orochimaru didn't make anti-venom for his own seal, did he?"

"No, the original genetic source of the cursed seal is one of my followers. His name is Juugo. Orochimaru promised him a cure for his bloodlust and instead he locked him up and used Juugo's blood to create cheap copies of his power."

"Oh my God- then, if we can find this guy, maybe Tsunade-sama can find a way to reverse the cursed seal forever!" Sakura smiled through her tears and performed a couple of hand seals. Then she started digging in her medical pack. "Here, Sasuke, take this. It's a soldier pill, I'd rather not have to use it, in your condition, but hopefully we'll have you healed before the um, crash…"

"I should find him. I promised that I wouldn't let him kill anyone. Juugo will rage and attack everything he sees if he sees anyone get angry or start fighting and Suigetsu was just about to fight Kisame when I came in here. When we find Juugo, my Sharingan can calm him but right now I can't move."

"I'll carry you, come on!" Naruto said, and jumped to his feet with a smile. Sakura helped Sasuke hang onto the blonde's back, but as they headed for the exit of the cavernous room with the others, Kakashi moved toward the body of Itachi. "Kaka-sensei?"

"I'll catch up to you guys later. Someone has to take this to Lady Tsunade; Captain Yamato is in charge now."

"Okay!" Naruto accepted that explanation and began to run immediately but Sasuke saw the glare that Kakashi sent him and understood the meaning behind it. He didn't want to admit it, but it hurt- especially to get that look from Kakashi. Sasuke knew that it was his own fault that he'd lost that much of their Sensei's trust. He decided then that he didn't want to look around at the faces of the others with them; if even Kakashi hated him, then it would be much worse with those whom he'd seen even less of as allies...

"So, where did you leave them, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Akamaru and I are picking up the scent of blood- lots of it! Must be the same fight we passed on our way to find you, Sasuke. It definitely ranged all over the surrounding woods, but they seem to be to the northeast of us for now." Kiba called warily, dashing up to the front beside them. The huge hound gave a surprisingly small whine but it didn't stop running. "I know, Akamaru! I haven't felt a chakra quite like this one since Gaara- but it looks like the battle has slowed down a lot- I don't think it's over though."

"That will either be very good or very bad with those two…" Sasuke grumbled.

"What do you mean? What two?" Naruto was the only one who heard him.

"You'll see…"

Kiba and Akamaru lead them to a large clearing, and at the edge of it, lay Karin's body.

Kisame had killed her; the trademark pattern of "scales" that left her missing large portions of skin and muscle was unmistakable. Kisame's body lay not far from her though, he'd been double teamed, probably while he'd been distracted by torturing Karin. Much of his large frame was crushed- Juugo's massive strength obviously. Suigetsu's huge sword, Zanbato was broken nearby, but Suigetsu was with Juugo farther away. Juugo had been forced to use his full transformation at some point in this brutal fight and he screamed with rage.

The shark-like Suigetsu was dying- even from here Sasuke could tell the battle was already over- Juugo just didn't know it yet. The huge monster's was more than 12 feet tall, and covered in rocklike gray skin with a huge mouth of jagged teeth. His demonic appearance seemed to have stunned the Leaf warriors all around him. Juugo landed blow after blow from his massive boulder-like fists in the swordsman's head and chest giving him no chance to reform or dodge.

"Get me over there, I have to stop this."

Naruto nodded and gave a tight smile as he raced forward.

When they were twenty feet away, Sasuke spoke again. "I've never seen his full transformation before so put me down and back away; he needs to focus on me."

"You sure you're okay to stand?"

"The soldier pill Sakura gave me is working. I still can't fight, but I _can_ walk."

"Juugo! Stop!" Sasuke called, moving toward the massive demon. It turned and scowled at him. Forgetting about its helpless prey, the winged monster rushed toward its new enemy, howling in mindless fury.

As the demon got closer, Sasuke activated the Sharingan, like he had many times before since acquiring Juugo. He used its power to amplify all the hate and pain Itachi had caused him and focused it at Juugo. The monster howled in rage, but kept coming and Sasuke focused harder, well aware that one punch from the monster in his current state would kill him.

The effort of focusing that much chakra after such a tough battle, while still poisoned was exhausting even for the white snake's regenerative abilities, but less than a foot in front of him, Juugo collapsed to his knees. He was back in his human form, the cursed seal's markings finally receding.

"S-Sorry, Sasuke… I'm sorry…" Juugo whimpered, crawling toward him.

"It's okay, we are going to Konoha now, come with me."

"T-To Konoha?"

"Yes. They might be able to get both of us cured. I have a lot to answer for though, and I want you to stay close to Naruto until they find you a cell you can hide in."

"C-Cured?" The huge man looked up at him pleadingly, which made Sasuke feel guilty for giving him what might end up being false hope, but the once more gentle giant only smiled as he stood up, towering over him.

The other Leaf ninjas were already busy checking the bodies and Captain Yamato looked at Kisame and shook his head warily. "I don't feel sorry for the enemy, but this must have been one hell of a bad week for the Akatsuki..."

"Sasuke!" Naruto called suddenly from somewhere behind him.

Sasuke tried to turn around but he hadn't even realized he was falling over until Juugo caught him.

"Nice catch, Juugo, I'm Naruto."

"Naruto… Sasuke wants me to follow _you_?"

"If that's what he told you, then it's okay with me," Naruto grinned and Juugo grinned right back at him. Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes at them.

Sakura came over and pressed a hand to Sasuke's forehead which he tried to shrug off. "Alright, definitely no more chakra for you today, Sasuke-kun."

She performed the seals needed to keep him from using any more of his jutsu requiring chakra so he scowled. "What? As badly hurt as you are right now, I don't know how you just did whatever you did. Your temperature has gone back up though, and you're going to need another dose of my chakra just to keep you alive long enough to get you back to the village."

He would have liked to have said something snide, but the darkness closed in around him too quickly for that.

* * *

So, how am I doing so far? Please review and let me know what you think!! Thanks for reading!!


	2. Interrogation

Chapter 2

There were voices talking around him as he came to, but they didn't seem to be speaking to him. Sasuke could feel chakra in the thick chains binding his wrists and ankles, so he didn't bother to try to move. He was in a darkened room, he was chained to the chair he sat on, there was only one door and there were no windows. In short, it was an interrogation chamber.

"Ibiki-san!" Called a masked member of the ANBU, "he's awake, sir."

_So it begins..._

Morino Ibiki stepped through the door, looking more intimidating than ever, the brutal scars on his face seemed to stand out more in the half dark room. "So, Uchiha Sasuke, feeling better? You've been unconscious for three days."

Sasuke made no reply, which prompted Ibiki to smirk.

"Usually traitors come back to us in pieces, but then, I told Danzou he was an idiot for sending his own hunter after you."

"Hn. That boy, Sai." It was a statement, not a question and Ibiki nodded.

"If you knew, why is he still alive?"

"He wasn't a threat to me or my revenge."

"Meaning he wasn't strong enough to fight you?"

Sasuke shrugged. "The more pets Orochimaru collected, the less I had to deal with him."

Ibiki smirked and arched one eyebrow expectantly at that, but Sasuke only scowled silently at the huge man until he chuckled and changed the subject. "Speaking of Orochimaru, Kabuto confirmed to Team Seven that you killed him- how?"

"He looked right at the Sharingan during his soul transfer technique, and his will wasn't strong enough to keep me out of his mind."

"I see, so his jutsu became yours and now you have his powers."

Sasuke nodded.

"Now that your brother is dead too, what were you planning to do next?"

"I hadn't _planned_ anything."

"What do you mean?"

"We both know I would be dead if they hadn't interfered."

Ibiki was silent as he left the room. "Tell Tsunade-sama that she can see the prisoner now."

The next time the door opened, it was indeed the Hokage who stood in the doorway. Sasuke looked down, uncertain how to react to her.

"I don't need to tell you that there are two people in this village who want you reinstated _right now_ as a full ninja with all rights, privileges and responsibilities. Now that you're here it's too late to be angry that you aren't dead yet, Sasuke. Part of you knows that. So, what I need to know, is can you learn from what's happened and start over or are you still so selfish that you will cause Naruto and Sakura even more pain?"

He glared at her. "Start over? How _Hokage-sama?_ What kind of a life is there for a ninja without honor?"

"You may not believe this, but everyone in our village wanted you to be the one to kill your brother- what most of us fail to understand is why you were so determined to do it while you were still so young."

"Naruto asked me that too."

"And what did you say?"

"I had to fight Itachi before I became too much like him."

Tsunade surprised him when she smiled sadly. "That's what I thought you would say, but I don't think you are anything like your brother. You have acted with too much honor and not enough cruelty for too long. Twice, you have attacked Naruto but ultimately you didn't strike a deathblow. You killed Orochimaru and instead of replacing him, you disbanded his whole inner circle and freed all of his prisoners. Sound Village will be sending you greetings in the form of its best assassins for the rest of your life in return for that treachery. At least two members of the Akatsuki have died by your hand, so you know you have their attention as well. You certainly have a knack for picking enemies though, Sasuke."

"Even if I killed them all single-handedly, nothing I do will ever restore my honor, you know that, Lady Tsunade."

"Perhaps not, but at least if you are alive you can still rebuild your clan. I have found a way to free you from the cursed seal- it will be ready tomorrow. That is good timing, because you are requiring more and more frequent doses of chakra to keep the poison at bay. Even with your chakra sealed, and the seal dormant, this combination of artificial substances within your body is still potentially lethal at any time."

"What about Juugo?"

"I think his powers are actually tied into a previously unknown bloodline limit, making it harder to prevent his transformations. Luckily he isn't poisoned so I have more time to study our options with him. In the mean time, he seems to be settling in rather well, and he is almost as worried about you as Naruto and Sakura."

"But what did the council say?"

"Honestly that was our toughest obstacle. They are never easy to deal with, but you are lucky that you came from such a large and powerful clan- the entire council owed a favor or two to at least one of your clansmen. In return for sparing your life, the slate is assumed cleared of their debts of honor to your family. You'll still need to watch yourself and everything you do for the rest of your life, but I know you already know that..."

"What are their terms?"

"After the removal of your cursed seal, you will be forgiven the death penalty- but I wasn't able to talk them out of the whip. After your corporal punishment, you will be under house arrest while your body heals naturally. As a ninja who has killed _two_ S class criminals you are already too powerful to leave as a Genin indefinitely; even they agreed it would be a waste of your talents if you are kept alive. So, any time you are chosen for a mission regardless of rank, you will be accompanied by Naruto."

"Hn," he said. "But aren't you just doing this for Naruto and Sakura, wouldn't it be easier just to leave me rotting in a cell somewhere?"

"A friend of mine once went rogue too you know, and I always wondered what might have happened if I had ever believed in him the way that Jiraiya once did. Regardless, I don't sense the same evil in you that I knew was corrupting Orochimaru."

He snorted, but something in her quiet voice made him look at her. There was a deep sadness in her eyes- the same loneliness he'd known since his family had been killed, and curiosity got the better of him. "What's happened? I can't believe you'd get so sentimental about this."

"I-I haven't told anyone- not even Shizune… but Jiraiya is gone too." Tears formed in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall as she stared at the table in front of her. "He died investigating Akatsuki's leader and now…"

"You're afraid my return will inspire Naruto to do something stupid when he finds out." It was a statement, not a question and it made her laugh bitterly as she brushed away her tears.

"Something stupid…" She snorted. "That's amusing sentiment from a missing ninja who went looking for revenge."

Sasuke didn't smile. "I'm not apologizing for leaving. I believed my brother when he said I wasn't even worth killing, so rather than live because of a desire to prove him wrong, I did exactly what he wanted. _That_ was stupid. Akatsuki has always been after Naruto, Jiraiya's sacrifice will mean nothing if he and Kyuubi are captured because they went after revenge."

"I don't quite know why, but I like you, Uchiha." Tsunade said slowly. "But how do we protect him from an enemy unpredictable enough to take the Kazikage right out of Suna? Even in the middle of Konoha, Kisame and Itachi could have killed _three_ of our Jounins in a single afternoon, simply because we weren't prepared…"

"Akatsuki appears to have several lairs here in the Fire Country; Juugo said that animals feel sinister chakra when they are around, so they know to avoid the locations marked on the map I had when I was brought here."

Tsunade stood up and left the room, when she returned, Ibiki was with her.

"I was curious about your map when we found it so I already sent ANBU hunters to thoroughly search the locations you marked but all we found in each one was an old stone lantern- they were all hidden and a perfectly matched set, but nothing useful as a lair," Ibiki growled.

Sasuke smirked. "I am especially curious to visit one of these places now, but I found my brother before we reached the nearest location marked on the map. If those lanterns are all chakra linked to make them spirit sensitive, then even if they are focused on different lanterns, they could talk telepathy. That would account for both the sinister chakra that makes the animals so wary and their mobility since there would be no traps to disarm or maintain when they enter and leave the area."

"That's crazy!" The masked ANBU who had been watching him since he awakened, slammed both hands down on the table. "Even our hunters didn't think of that-"

Sasuke shrugged. "It _should_ be a coincidence but I know my brother; he led me away from there because he was trying to hide something from the Sharingan. Since lanterns were the only common denominator in each location, then that has to be the key."

"Didn't it occur to you that your information could just be wrong or maybe you are a traitor who has reason to protect the Akatsuki…"

Sasuke glared at her, but even as his eyes turned into the Sharingan, someone got between them.

"Anko!" Tsunade snapped. "I will see you in my office later!"

"I-I'm sorry, Hokage-sama…" The woman under the mask didn't wait for a reply and quickly retreated.

With his chakra restraints still in place, the Sharingan was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared, but even so, the silence in the room remained uneasy as both Ibiki and Tsunade stared at him. The Sharingan, had responded to his anger and the stress he was under, but he wasn't really angry with Anko in the first place.

He was angry about being _here_; daydreaming about coming back when he'd known that this would happen. There was no truly safe place for a ninja whose honor was tarnished. Leaf ninjas were known for being more merciful than those of other villages, but even they refused to trust known traitors.

He'd sacrificed his own honor for the chance to settle things with his brother- and more than ever, he saw that for the mistake it was. The arrogant bastard's last words had left him with only more questions, and a seething hatred for the power of his own bloodline limit...

_What exactly is left for me to look forward to now?_

"For whatever its worth, I agree with your theory, Sasuke." Tsunade sighed; it pulled him from his thoughts when she slumped back into her chair. "Juugo seems trustworthy and besides, infusing objects with chakra isn't a new idea, so-"

"Lady Tsunade, I deserved that and you know it will get worse…"

"When you left the village, Anko was actually one of the people who helped convince me not to send hunters after you. Her anger came from finally realizing that you really are the one who stopped Orochimaru. She still has her cursed seal as well, but even with it forced into dormancy years ago, she has never been able to resist its evil the way you are. That is why she spoke the way she did."

"I don't care about that. But Danzou has already gone behind your back once because of me... What do you think will happen to this village if you bring me back?"

"What will happen to _you_ if we don't?" The Hokage countered. "I still can't recommend letting the council kill you, because honestly, I agree with Naruto. It isn't your fault that your brother was a complete sociopath, yet I can't set you free with no allegiances either. But by far, the most dangerous option of all would be putting you in a cell somewhere and locking the door for a few years. Then you _would_ become a monster just like the two traitors you killed, is that what you want?"

Sasuke looked away. "Everyone that associates with me will be treated with that disdain- or _worse_. Is that really what you want for Naruto- you'd really give the village another reason to hate and be afraid of him just to get me to fight for the Leaf again? Or is this really about the Sharingan?"

"It was Naruto who asked the council to be teamed with you. As many times as you've hurt him, he has never stopped believing in you, and its clear that you need someone to have that much faith in you right now."

Sasuke snorted. _I have faith in me,_ which was all that had ever mattered before, but…

"Take him back to his cell and keep him under a powerful sleep jutsu because he's still poisoned and my medical ninjas will need to continue checking him every few hours." She said to Ibiki, and the scarred man bowed his head to her. She turned back and stared at him intently. "You will be brought to the council tomorrow, Uchiha; either accept the council's terms and rejoin the Leaf or you will die, consider your options carefully."

**_Author's Note_**: I totally cried when Jiraiya died... I always thought he and Tsunade were really cute together in a way. Their unspoken love for each other is now lost forever... Poor Tsunade...

This fic is canon up until 385- and I will continue incorporating as many ideas from future chapters of the manga as I can while I continue. Please review!!


	3. Endless Night

Chapter 3

Naruto stared at the numbers of the clock on top of his dresser without really seeing the time.

It was still dark out, and waiting was getting harder, but sleep wasn't coming to his rescue tonight either. He hadn't slept well since he'd brought Sasuke back, though tonight, he couldn't even get his eyes to close. His creaky bed and lumpy old pillows had never felt so uncomfortable either…

Four- no _five _days ago, their triumphant return hadn't been anything like what Naruto had hoped… which meant he was actually glad Sasuke hadn't been awake to see it or the Teme would've laughed at him yet again for being so stupid and naïve…

_Konoha's huge gates had been as wide open as ever, but Naruto bristled instinctively when he saw that their welcome consisted of an ANBU squad and Kakashi. All of five them were watching the approaching group intently- or more specifically, they were staring at _Sasuke.

'_What the… Sasuke's out cold! He passed out while Sakura examined him over an hour ago, so what is with the daggers they are glaring at him now?'_

"I'm a traitor, remember? I have no interest in being publicly executed, Dobe."

_Naruto didn't want to accept it, but those words came back to haunt him. Even Kakashi was glaring at him and he didn't understand it because they were all practically ignoring the huge, intimidating figure that was carrying Sasuke._

_Juugo was growing apprehensive as they approached the mammoth gateway, and Naruto smiled at him, but he could see that the man was too nervous to smile back this time, instead he chewed his lip and tried not to move..._

_Sakura spoke first, breaking the uneasy silence- everyone else even Yamato and Sai lingered with the others quietly watching. "He's been poisoned and he needs to see the Hokage. I've sealed his chakra, and I put a sleep jutsu on him too, Sasuke's not… dangerous…"_

_Her voice trailed off because the ANBU weren't listening finally Kakashi stepped forward. "Naruto, you have to report to the Hokage, but… Sasuke is under arrest."_

"_What are they going to do with him? And what about Juugo?" Naruto had demanded._

"_Tsunade-sama just wants to hear what happened from you, and she will talk to Sasuke later. I've already told her about Juugo," Kakashi added. "And right now she is looking for the Third's records from when Anko's cursed seal was forced to go dormant years ago. She needs to study exactly what we know about the cursed seal so she can help them more quickly."_

_That sounded promising, but Naruto scowled; Kakashi still wasn't telling him anything. _We brought him here- why don't they want us to know what is really going on?

_Sakura looked like she might start crying, but she tore her gaze away and he didn't know what to say either. They both stood back helplessly when two of the ANBU quietly stepped up and took Sasuke from Juugo. The huge man looked as nervous and unhappy as Naruto felt._

_The three disappeared in a puff of smoke and he growled. He wished he knew where exactly they were taking him, because every instinct he had, warned that it certainly wasn't to the old military police station downtown…_

_Sakura squeezed his hand gently. "It hurts- I know, because we just found him, but Lady Tsunade trusted us enough to let us bring him back. Standard procedure would have been to have hunters sent out immediately and she never sent them, so now we have to trust her. I know she'll do everything she can to help us save him."_

"_Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun, Lady Tsunade is expecting you, please go to her office and give your report. Both of us will accompany you and the visitor," Said one the remaining masked hunters. "The rest of you please follow Kakashi-san, Morino Ibiki is waiting to speak with you."_

_All the group's previous conversations had died as soon as everyone had seen their small, very cold welcome as they approached the gate. An eerie silence took over and the walk to the Hokage's office had never seemed so long to Naruto before._

_He'd told Sasuke that he wouldn't be executed… He still couldn't imagine it but it was suddenly clear that he could be wrong- Sasuke was in danger and now he felt as if it was entirely his fault. 'This isn't fair…'_

_Again Naruto noticed the silence as they walked and he shivered. He'd never seen the village so quiet before- he doubted any of the others ever had either. The normally bustling streets were still and silent as they moved through town. People watched them from store windows, and open doorways, but no one actually dared to venture out to question them. Clearly, they all knew- but none of them had any idea what to expect now. The wind rustled a newspaper on a nearby rack and he was surprised by how loud it seemed as they passed it._

'_Any other time, when an S class criminal was slain, their killer was considered a hero! Some hero's welcome _this_ is,' he growled. 'This isn't fair…'_

_Naruto couldn't forget how frighteningly powerful Itachi had seemed in all of their previous encounters, so for the first time, he started to wonder, 'exactly how powerful is Sasuke now?'_

_Naruto remembered very clearly the incredible wave of dark chakra that Sasuke had used to stop Juugo's rampage. He'd never felt a chakra aura that was seemed so deadly before. The aura of Orochimaru's chakra had been potent too, it was unmistakably dark and vile, but it had felt poisonous and manipulative rather than completely overpowering and focused._

_The Kyuubi inside him had demanded to get out; throwing its power at the gate formed by the Fourth's seal with a fury that literally drove Naruto to his knees. The demon's rage had __**never**__ been so quick to attack his control before._

"**I knew it! Your Uchiha **_**is**_** still getting stronger; you will have to train harder to keep up with him, Kit…" **Kyuubi's voice had thundered through his mind with dark amusement.** "I warned you before about his darkness. If he can't contain it, I will relish that battle; it will be a challenge worthy of my own true power…"**

_That increase in his power wasn't the only thing about Sasuke that'd surprised him… He'd been so careful not to think about it- but now, with nothing else to do while they walked, his mind wandered back to that kiss._

_It was soft and sweet and warm- everything a first kiss should've been- except that it was Sasuke and not Sakura that'd kissed him! They'd kissed, four years earlier too, but that time had been an accident- this one certainly wasn't… _

'_So, why did the Teme kiss me anyway?'_

"That day… In the Valley of the End- I couldn't kill you- not even to awaken the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan..."

_Those words had _kind of_ made sense- in Sasuke's typical 'I'm an Uchiha and I don't have to explain this, because if you were an Uchiha genius too, you would already know exactly what I'm talking about' sort of a way…_

_But did they mean that kissing him __really __ meant "Goodbye", "I love you" or "I'm sorry", "I'm glad you're here" or just "I have no idea what the hell I'm doing because I'm dying of poison"?_

"**Well,** i**f it is the last one, then that will be embarrassing later won't it? You **_**liked**_** it, Kit. In fact-"**

Naruto was startled to hear the Kyuubi's voice in his head, but he just shrugged and crammed the pillows under his head. "Shut up, I thought I said I didn't want to talk to you anymore."

"**You mean six months ago, when I spoke to him and warned him not to kill you? No, Kit, you said you don't want to **_**see**_** me anymore." **

"Don't you have anything better to do than annoy me?" He rolled over onto his side and kicked off his covers.

"**No. Just admit it- you **_**want**_** him."**

"What?"

"**You've always known you need him, Kit- you just weren't sure why until now…"**

"You mean…"

"**Yes. Not that I can blame you, he is rather exquisite- for a human. I find your innocence strangely endearing just now."**

"I wish you'd be quiet."

The demon laughed in his mind. **"The Fourth's seal keeps you from fully tapping into my primal urge but..."**

"What's… primal urge?"

"**That's pitiful- but you're not entirely hopeless. After all, you **_**did**_** kiss him back, you know..."**

Naruto heard a beeping coming from the other side of the room and sat up at once.

He was exhausted, but he almost ran to the alarm and shut it off, happy to have a distraction- luckily his inner demon seemed to be done bugging him. Turning for the bathroom, he sighed tiredly and stripped off his pajamas as he turned on the shower. His thoughts wandered absently to yesterday's hearing.

_He'd actually jumped when Utatane Koharu, the tiny hunchbacked old lady that Tsunade hated almost as much as he hated Danzou, tapped a gavel on the large counter before her. Sasuke looked up too._

_His composure amazed Naruto, but then, he was pointedly ignoring everyone in the auditorium but the old woman as she spoke._

"_Uchiha Sasuke, you have been arrested for high treason against the Leaf Village of Konoha. Three years ago, you left us without permission; you knowingly conspired with wanted criminals and forcibly resisted several attempts to bring you back. You also knowingly placed your own teammates in mortal danger on several occasions to satisfy your own ambitions. Do you deny these charges?"_

"_No, Madame Councilor-sama."_

_Naruto was about to object, but Tsunade placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder._

_The old woman continued. "You are aware that the punishment for these actions is traditionally death?"_

"_I am, Madam Councilor-sama."_

"_You remain alive at this very moment __**only**__ because our Hokage and Uzumaki Naruto seem to believe that you can be trusted to return now that the unpleasant business of you revenge has been taken care of. This is your chance to speak on your own behalf, Uchiha; and I suggest you use it because I will not have you making a mockery of this proceeding."_

_Sasuke didn't look the least bit apologetic. "If you brought me here to see me beg your forgiveness, then kill me now. I can't take back what I've already done, Elders of the Council, but..."_

_Utatane Koharu actually growled as she started to rise from her chair, but Mitokado Homura placed a hand on her arm gently. He scowled at Sasuke though as the female elder returned to her chair. "But?"_

"_Everything I did ultimately served my family's honor and by default this village."_

_Under her flowing robes and the silly hat, Naruto saw Tsunade hiding a grin. "That brat..."_

_Naruto was surprised but another elder spoke up. He doubted that Tsunade would find it this amusing about a month from now when Sasuke was being that stubborn with her…_

"_You still acted without orders or authorization, what proof do we have that you would not betray the village again when you deny your elders the respect we deserve?"_

_Sasuke sent a sharp glare at Danzou. "If Leaf shinobi are only given orders that support the best interests of this village it won't be a problem."_

_Tsunade chuckled down at Naruto. "He'll never be Hokage, but he will make one hell of an ally on the council for you someday."_

_Danzou bristled, leering down at Sasuke. "Fellow council members, are we really going to be manipulated by this arrogant _child_? He admitted quite clearly that he is a renegade shinobi, it is our civic responsibility to make an example of this brat and kill him."_

"_That would be fine, Councilman Danzou," Tsunade broke in. "Except that previous renegades who have been brought before previous councils like this were all the perpetrators of bloody crimes against innocent people. The only people killed during his rule-breaking were the two most wanted criminals in the entire history of our village. This shinobi is the only survivor of a tragedy that shook this village to its very core. I, for one, am ashamed to admit that we couldn't bring his brother to justice, because that meant Sasuke had to do it himself." _

"_Yes, Hokage-sama, you have been reminding us of the Uchiha massacre for the last 4 days but-"_

"_My revenge was a family matter and it no longer concerns this hearing." Sasuke growled. His voice was deceptively quiet; every word was angry and clipped. "My brother is dead, and Orochimaru is neutralized. So, why should I have stayed when I managed to do in three years what all of ANBU couldn't do in almost a decade?"_

_A collective gasp went through the auditorium and Naruto wished he could punch Sasuke for that and he could see Tsunade agreed with him. He kind of saw Sasuke's point- but that wasn't the best time to point it out…_

_Naruto heard quite a few mutterings of "Impertinent whelp!" and worse…_

"_Councilors please, let me finish." Tsunade growled. "Danzou, I know you believe mercy is for the weak, but you are wrong. We have always done things our own way in this village and we are stronger because of it. So I ask you, are we strong enough to stand behind one of our own because we all believe in the power of the will of fire? Or do we blindly go with tradition and put out that bright flame ourselves?"_

_Naruto couldn't believe it when Utatane Koharu actually cracked a small grin at Tsunade before glaring at Danzou. "Our Hokage has asked us for leniency in this case and the entire council gave its word that we would indeed offer terms to spare the accused. Uchiha Sasuke our terms are not optional- should you fail to abide by a single condition you will be killed, do you understand?" _

"_I do, Madam Councilor."_

"_Very well, I shall give you our conditions. One, Lady Tsunade will remove the cursed seal today after this hearing and cure you of the poison. Two, when that is settled, you will be given lashes with a whip. As that will take several weeks to heal, you will be under house arrest during that time."_

"_Madame Councilor," Tsunade asked. "How many lashes will he receive?" _

"_The council has agreed upon fifty, Hokage-sama."_

_Naruto was stunned it was twice what Tsunade had told him to expect…_

_Tsunade stood up, she looked furious. "Fifty lashes with a chakra whip? Be reasonable."_

"_Hokage-sama, some among the council fear that you are taking his transgressions against the order of our village too lightly, in which case he and others might too." Danzou purred, smiling maliciously._

"_I suppose that you have already chosen who will administer his punishment? This is ridiculous. If the torturer and Sasuke have strong enough elemental affinities; then with his body and his chakra restrained, you _will_ kill him…"_

"_Actually," Sasuke interrupted. "I accept those terms, Hokage-sama."_

The hearing had continued- but Naruto hadn't heard another word that was said after that.

He knew they'd fought people who used chakra whips before but this time Sasuke would be chained immobile and he wouldn't even be able to use his chakra as a shield to absorb any of the shock from the elemental attacks either… Tsunade was right; there was a very high chance he would die before the end of his punishment…

"**Relax, Kit. He is much too stubborn to die today." **

It surprised him that Kyuubi was suddenly responding to his thoughts and talking to him again, but he sighed and attempted to ignore the demon.

_How trustworthy could a demon be- well unless something was in it for him?_

"**Let's just say I'm out to get you laid, as your pervert Sensei would say."**

"Bijuu think about sex?"

"**We do when our Jinchuuriki is…" **The demon replied cheekily. **"When we are free, all Bijuu are drawn to power- which your Uchiha has in abundance. Meaning you're drawn to him on two completely different levels, so you're pretty much screwed, Kit."**

"Naruto?" The voice was outside his apartment's door.

He was blushing, but he didn't hesitate to open it for Sakura as he threw on his jacket. Luckily, the girl didn't even notice, she walked past him to look out the window, her beautiful green eyes were sad.

"I've been looking for you! I can't believe they're really going to do this- and we're going to be late! It's not fair! Come on," she commanded, tugging him out into the hall.

**

* * *

Author's note**: edit: I finally managed to figure out where my elemental affinities chart for Naruto is... Yay, I've corrected that part finally! GRRR…

Oh boy, if I had realized back in chapter 1 how much fun it would be to screw with Naru-chan's poor little mind like this, I would _**definitely**_ have written at least the kiss from his perspective… Because I'm evil like _that_ too…


	4. Torture

Chapter 3

'_I didn't come this far just to die_ before _this asshole. I'm stronger than this… He must have a weakness.' Itachi'd managed to pin him to the wall, cupped his fingers around his right eye, and…_ Sasuke shivered, he still couldn't bear to think too deeply about that moment.

_Up to then, he thought he'd fought well. It had been one of the toughest battles he'd ever faced because of the brutal pace. Itachi was indeed a genius with the skill to match his sadistic nature, who had long been known for his incredible talent in genjutsu. Three long years of hard training had certainly paid off though. With his Sharingan, Sasuke'd been able to match his brother illusion for illusion and yet even that almost hadn't been enough._

_His enormous growth in power in such a short time had impressed Itachi more than he would've admitted otherwise. It wasn't every day that someone managed to stand up to Itachi. That was why his brother had told him about the bloody history of Uchiha Madara and his younger brother. It was too horrible to imagine, but now it made sense- in his brother's typical mode of insanity. All that time, he'd kept Sasuke alive because he wanted to reenact it and then surpass Madara, their mysterious ancestor._

_The Mangekyou's only weakness was Itachi's overconfidence when he used it- he'd certainly proved he'd gotten stronger, but he'd almost lost his eyes by accepting the bastard's challenge. As in the fight with Deidara, Orochimaru's powers had saved him. Without them, Sasuke knew he would've been beaten yet again by his brother- only this time he would have died- blind and alone, a disgrace to their clan. _

"_I'm sorry, Sasuke."_ Sasuke couldn't control his breathing at first when he sat up- suddenly wide awake. The memories were still too fresh- too painful. He tried to pull his thoughts away from that terrible moment, but he still couldn't forget, so the waking nightmare continued…

_Itachi had him pinned and he knew it, so he'd started to gloat as he reached for Sasuke's right eye… "THIS is my reality. The light will not leave my world."_

_His summon tattoos were neutralized; but he didn't need to form any seals to use Orochimaru's lesser snake powers since absorbing him. Three venomous Hidden Snakes had shot out of Sasuke's arms and latched onto Itachi's left arm- an easy target since the asshole was only watching his _other_ hand, after all. _

_Though he was forced to back off, Itachi killed the serpents easily enough, but Sasuke got away from the wall, with a tumbler's roll. He also used that movement to hide his hands and formed the seals to create a shadow clone which he instructed to hide._

_Itachi looked more insane than ever as he advanced on him, his face twisted in pain and fury as the venom seeped into his blood. Itachi pulled a kunai whose blade glittered with a strange green sheen, from the folds of his cloak. Sasuke drew the sword, but he couldn't get it in position to block in such close quarters- creating that shadow clone had cost him too much of his mobility. Itachi's kunai bit deep into his shoulder and agony crept from that wound into the cursed seal._

_The irony that they were both poisoned wasn't lost on Sasuke, but he knew he couldn't loose focus now. The last three years and all the sacrifices he'd made- his whole life would mean nothing if he didn't see Itachi dead before the poison killed him. _

_The shadow clone attacked silently, lifting Itachi as it impaled him in the back with its katana. Sasuke smirked coldly as Itachi started to turn toward the clone, absolute shock evident in his normally cruel eyes. Sasuke wasted no words, he growled as he lunged and his katana lashed out one last time. Itachi's body staggered and fell as his head rolled off of his shoulders. _

_Their battle ended before Sasuke was able to share his final thoughts, with his brother but all that mattered was that this murderer was finally dead. _

"_You're right. You __**were**__ stronger than me, traitor- but no enemy is invincible; not as long as the assassin is ready to die for the mission." He'd whispered into the darkness. _

The victory speech always changed a little every time he rehearsed it in his mind, but a lifetime of pain and self doubt had prepared him for that battle. At the end, just as he predicted, he was the one left standing.

He just hadn't counted on was being found by Naruto while he was still alive though. He'd held on longer because he wanted to say goodbye but now instead, he would soon be a Leaf again… strange that fate seemed so determined to keep drawing them back together.

He wasn't allowed any visitors but the ANBU, Ibiki and Tsunade now that his poison was cured and that was fine with him. He wasn't really looking forward to speaking with Naruto- not just yet.

"…_Now that you're here it's too late to be angry that you aren't dead yet, Sasuke. Part of you knows that…"_ Tsunade's words from the interrogation room kept coming back to him.

He _was_ angry though- angry that no matter what he'd told everyone- even himself for so long; he still cared what Naruto thought of him. They were supposed to be just rivals' now- but it was their friendship that he really missed.

Tsunade had stood up for him many times at yesterday's hearing and he'd accepted the council's terms- without really understanding why.

'_What changed? Why am I putting myself through this?' _

"Alright, _traitor_," said one of the four ANBU distracting him from his thoughts. "It's time to get that smug look off of your pretty face!"

Another masked ninja shoved that one from behind. "Enough! Five minutes ago Lady Tsunade forbade such talk with this prisoner!"

"What? Don't tell me you're one of those stupid chics who _still_ want to fuck this son of a-"

The kunoichi under the mask was Anko; Sasuke could tell by her voice, so he wasn't surprised when she shoved the loud mouth hard against the bars and pressed a kunai to his throat. "Your mouth is going to get you demoted- or _killed _if you don't shut it, rookie."

Sasuke didn't bother to move from his cot along the wall until another ANBU sighed and stepped up to the door of his cell. "Uchiha Sasuke, it's time. Face the wall and put your hands behind your head, please."

He sighed, and obeyed. He already hated this procedure even though he was seldom moved and he'd actually spent most of his stay in this cell unconscious. He hadn't given them any trouble at all, but they were constantly waiting for it- not that he could blame them; he supposed they were wise to err on the side of caution with _all_ prisoners. Perhaps they didn't believe his sincerity, but he had no plans to try and escape. He had agreed to the sentence so to fight the guards would only give that asshole Danzou exactly what he still wanted- an excuse to kill him.

"Do you have any questions about your sentence?" The guard asked, snapping the chakra restraints onto his wrists and then his ankles.

Sasuke shook his head. "No."

He'd been tortured before; blood and pain were nothing new for him. Three years in Orochimaru's possession had been a _very_ long time indeed. Orochimaru craved desire and complete obedience from his bedmates. He liked to hurt them, tasting their blood while pretending he was trying to be gentle with them. He wanted complete control; because he thought it was symbolic of his formidable power in the outside world. Even in the chains, Sasuke hated that game and fought back bitterly because it reinforced his distrust of authority to be used like that.

The bright glare of the morning sun burned his eyes as he was lead out of the prison where he'd been kept. His eyes adjusted quickly, and he saw rain clouds gathering in the distance but he didn't care where he was being taken as long as they were going to get on with it.

Kakashi was probably around someplace, but he couldn't sense him. He didn't need to look around to sense the apprehensive stares of the villagers but he wondered why he couldn't sense where Naruto and Sakura were at.

The blond had been at his hearing, he looked scared and desperate and that made Sasuke feel guilty. He knew he didn't deserve that kind of devotion. It was his life to lose but the hyperactive blond still wasn't ready to let him go, he sighed. They hadn't been able to speak to each other directly since he'd found Juugo, but the formalities were almost over and soon most of the village would begin trying to pretend he didn't exist…

He smiled slightly as he remembered kissing Naruto- he wasn't usually impulsive like that. He'd hated being forced by Orochimaru for so long, so Sasuke thought he'd been permanently cured of all his baser instincts since he'd beaten the snake at his own game. After all, ignoring both Karin and Suigetsu had been easy enough…

But Naruto was different. He was glad that the Dobe hadn't given up on him… The blonde shocked him when he'd kissed him back though. It was embarrassing to admit it, but Sasuke loved that moment, it felt… _safe_. That was the first time he'd ever felt safe since the night Orochimaru first branded him with the cursed seal. He'd sought out the darkness because of the seal, in the end he knew he didn't deserve to feel safe, but he wanted more of it.

Other emotions he tried to hide even from himself were also wrapped up in that slow, sweet kiss and Sasuke already knew he would kiss Naruto again if another opportunity presented itself... Naruto was so trusting and pure- it wouldn't be fair to take that from him though, infecting him with his darkness too.

"Get up there, traitor." One of the masked guards hissed, jerking the chain to pull him forward. "It's time to see just how tough you really are." He made sure to keep his voice low so that Anko and likely the others didn't hear him, but Sasuke just rolled his eyes. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but he was glad they were going to get it over with.

Sasuke climbed the three short steps up onto the makeshift platform and stood quietly while his captors chained his arms apart, effectively dangling him between the two thick posts on either side of him. He had his back to the villagers and he preferred it that way. Someone ripped his shirt off.

"Citizens of Konoha, as you all know, Uchiha Sasuke left our village three years ago in search of revenge," Tsunade said. "Despite the difficulty of that mission, he was successful and now he wishes to peacefully return to the Leaf. To prove his sincerity, the Council of Elders has seen fit to sentence him to fifty lashes immediately. If he survives, he will be forgiven his transgressions and reinstated after he has fully recovered."

She walked around in front of him and held up a stick. "Here. You should bite down on this, it'll help."

He shook his head and she managed a slight grin. "I admire your resolve but... I can't believe those two brats aren't here yet…"

"Who?"

"Your two cheerleaders, Sakura went to find Naruto and I haven't seen either of them since."

"It's better this way."

"How can you say that?"

"He can't save me from this…"

She nodded. "So you're ready then?"

Sasuke nodded and Tsunade looked away as she moved away from him. "You may begin, Karek, but if he does not ask for quarter, you will stop at fifty, is that understood?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama." The man who answered her had a smooth, deep voice and seemed to be in a very good mood considering what he'd been assigned to do. '_Great, a sadist just like Orochimaru and my asshole brother.'_

Sasuke didn't care to know anything else about his torturer; he was busy concentrating on controlling his breathing to focus his mind. He'd acquired remarkable pain tolerance from Orochimaru, but he didn't enjoy using it.

His torturer would have water- fire's natural enemy. The whip was a special weapon- a rare heirloom meant solely for this kind of purpose. It would combine the element of its wielder with the elemental force of its target together with intensity that increased every time it touched him to draw power from his chakra. Meaning in this case, the whip would be wet and it would get hotter and hotter from the fire until it boiled, branding him with what would be horrible scars.

The first strike he heard more than he felt it, a tribute to his concentration. The whip cracked loudly as it struck him across the back, leaving a long red welt between his shoulders that would be the first of many.

Sasuke focused on trying to keep his muscles relaxed, and his breathing even. The long pause the torturer gave him helped him do that, though the man was not waiting out of kindness. He just wanted him to feel each strike separately from those before it.

He could already feel the white snake's natural mystic abilities were trying to heal the pain, but the next strike connected with his skin and he was forced to steady himself through the haze of pain.

The whip might have been heavier this time, but the warmth in it still wasn't as uncomfortable as he'd anticipated yet.

Sasuke held very still, sensing another movement behind him. He ignored the way his chains were forcing his body to stretch, making it sting even more because the muscles were constantly being pulled tight.

The whip snaked out again, striking him very close to the first one. Sasuke closed his eyes and focused again on his breathing, blocking out the pain.

The next time the whip touched him, it broke his skin. He could feel blood seeping from the long line across his upper back and more heat seemed to linger with the biting pain.

A few of the villagers started to whisper amongst themselves, but Sasuke ignored them and the pain as the lash struck him again.

He felt the whip strike him in his lower back for the first time, and noticed that it was indeed getting warmer; the heavy tail had also drawn blood again.

He steadied himself as the whip struck him again, in the middle of his back. He closed his eyes and took another long breath, ignoring the pain.

The tenth was punctuated by a sharp, hot pain above a line where he was already bleeding. He knew the whip was definitely getting hotter- but he wasn't about to let that affect him either.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura were walking side by side through the streets of Konoha, but they were both lost in their own thoughts.

Naruto couldn't stand to want to watch anyone get hurt- especially Sasuke… It made him sick to his stomach and he'd never been so glad that he hadn't eaten breakfast. This whole situation seemed wrong. It reminded him too much of those stupid needles on that bridge when Haku'd let him think his only true friend was really dead."

"N-Naruto?" Sakura asked suddenly. "Did we really do the right thing?"

He was startled and he scowled at her. "You mean when we brought him back?"

"Yes. I feel really guilty. You made me a promise and you kept it! I just- I don't think I love him anymore- it's just too hard to hold on when I know he's never cared about me the way I always loved him."

"S-Sakura-chan…"

"I mean it; it really hurt when I couldn't make him stay or go with him. That day by the gate after he left me, I knew only you could bring him back because the two of you have always had a deeper bond than the rest of the team… I've always been jealous of you for that, Naruto."

"What?"

"He was always obsessed with getting stronger, I think he liked you because you always stood up to him. Even when he was busy insulting you, he never hesitated to protect you. I loved him, but his passion burns and he wouldn't stay for me because I just can't challenge him like you do…"

"W-What do you mean?" He blushed uncomfortably trying not to let his mind wander back to that kiss.

"I mean, Sasuke came back with us for _you_, Naruto."

Luckily she didn't notice; she was staring at the ground as they walked. "He cares about all of us- the team, our friends even the village, Sakura-chan."

"You know, that day when we met Orochimaru on that bridge- I saw that same strange fire in you too. You two have something together that is so intense that it really scared that day and on the roof of the hospital too… But when I saw you holding him- I realized that I'd been really selfish and he'll never be mine."

"So… you're giving up on him?"

"I don't have a choice. Part of being in love is learning to accept things we can't change and I can't change what's in his heart. I'll always love him for being a part of our team and because he's still the coolest, smartest, hottest guy ever, but I want him to be happy even if he isn't with me. I-I feel the same way about you too, Naruto. I'll always treasure the times we went out together, but I think you and I are better off as friends too."

Naruto felt his heart freeze in his chest with those words, but there were tears in her eyes and she smiled hopefully as she took his hand. "So… are we still friends?"

He nodded, but he didn't really mean the automatic smile that came with it. In the last few months, he was just starting to feel like he had a chance with her- and now this? "I uh… yeah, friends."

"Naruto-kun! Sakura-chan!" Hinata's soft voice wouldn't have startled them ordinarily, but in this moment it did. The girl looked flushed and worried as she ran up to them.

"Hinata-chan?"

"Hurry! The ceremony is almost over!"

"What?"

"The Hokage has people looking everywhere for you two, I volunteered to help because I-I just couldn't stand to watch... It's- it's too horrible…"

"Is he… okay?"

"He's been totally silent so far, but I don't see how. Lady Tsunade wants you two to take him home… She knows the council doesn't want any chakra healing done, but she has sent everything you need to the Uchiha compound to stitch him back together."

"Thanks, Hinata! We had no idea we were that late! I'm sorry we made you come after us," Sakura said. Her features set themselves in a determined look as the three of them ran the rest of the way to the site, ignoring the rain as it began to fall.

Even from a distance, the whip looked like an angry, red snake, the glow brightened as it struck Sasuke across his upper back. He staggered but the chains caught him, and his breathing was forced, but he didn't scream. It was clear how much he was suffering when the rain started though. The water actually sizzled- creating steam that rolled off of both the whip _and_ Sasuke's back. Naruto looked away and ran to Tsunade.

As the rain came down harder, everyone began to disperse, all of them seemed glad to have an excuse to get out of there.

"How- can't you stop this?"

"No. It was his choice to accept this and you two couldn't have cut it any closer! There is only one more and then it would have been ANBU taking him home for the next part of his sentence. If that had happened, the scars would… just get him out of here. We'll talk later."

Naruto heard the final crack of the whip, but he didn't look- he couldn't. He didn't want to see the scorch marks or the ribbons of pale skin dangling off of him or watch the layers of exposed muscles shift as he allowed his weight to rest against the chains. Naruto felt numb and cold as he climbed the steps with Sakura, but it wasn't because of the rain.

Two members of ANBU released the chains binding Sasuke, who fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

"Oh shit- Sasuke-kun!" Sakura crouched down in front of him. "Can you hear me? It's Sakura. Naruto is here with me and we're going to take you home now, okay?"

"I'm… fine." Sasuke growled, already trying to stand up on his own. He shuddered and ended up back on his knees though when the sky was lit up by nearby lightning and the thunder sounded unnervingly like the whip that had just been used on him.

Sasuke shivered again as the cool rain became a downpour. Naruto was fully dressed and he felt cold so he took off his jacket to put it over Sasuke's shoulders but Sakura stopped him.

"No! The less we touch his wounds, the better. This should be healed with chakra to keep him from getting infected- but the council forbade it… I'll be able to rearrange the pieces so they'll heal properly, once we get him to his house, but this will take hours. And for now the cool rain probably makes it feel a little better anyway."

"Especially the cooked pieces…" Sasuke grunted as each of his teammates took one of his arms over their shoulders.

"We are to let you take Sasuke home and attend to his wounds, but we will be escorting you there and his house arrest begins the moment you have him inside. Inform us if you need further medical supplies, Sakura-chan." One of the ANBU said, none of whom waited for a reply.

It would be a long walk in the rain for the three old friends, but Sakura and Naruto just grinned at each other over Sasuke's shoulder. Stubborn as he was, Sasuke was barely conscious now because of the pain, forced to trust them. Both already knew this was where each of them belonged, now they just had to make sure their wayward teammate finally saw it too.

* * *

**Author's note**: I wrote the fight scene before 388 was released and while I like the current progression of the manga, the point of having it in the fic is that the battle is already over.


	5. Healing

Chapter 5

Sakura shivered in her wet clothes, she'd never been in the Uchiha complex before. But she couldn't understand how or why Sasuke had continued to live there since the infamous murders. Even the neighborhood around it seemed unnaturally quiet. It was cold in here too, and a number of the lights were burned out, but the thermostat was running, and the master bedroom had enough light for her to work on healing her friend.

Naruto helped her ease Sasuke down on the bed on his stomach but she noticed he still refused to let himself look at the damage. "Would it help if I went to see if there is some aspirin or something here?"

Sakura nodded even though she knew it would take more than that to get ahead of this kind of pain and Sasuke would probably be asleep before he came back with it anyway. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and washed her hands before putting on a pair of medical gloves.

She smiled as she looked through the tray of items that Tsunade had ordered sent here for her to work with. No doubt Shizune had packed it and delivered it herself. Sasuke's breathing was becoming deeper and more even, that made her smile because it meant he was falling asleep.

Naruto burst back into the room, but before he could say anything, she shushed him. "He can take them later," she whispered. "Get his shoes off, please."

He did and then he sat down on the opposite side of the bed to watch her. She focused on her task again, forcing herself to block out everything else. She couldn't let anything distract her, and Naruto was content to just watch her- at least for now.

She'd seen battle wounds before, but this was just cruel, she thought, allowing herself to take in the damage as a whole for the first time. The pale skin of Sasuke's back was tattered beyond all recognition, there was blood everywhere. The scorches were just evil looking and the deep gashes randomly carved right into his broad, powerful muscles might impair his movement for the rest of his life. Many of the scorched areas were bad enough that they'd cauterized themselves like a branding iron immediately but others were still bleeding.

As a whole, he'd lost a lot of blood and the pain would have to have been terrible. His dark, untamable spirit and iron will were all that had kept him alive. After all, this sort of a chakra whip was meant to permanently damage the body and disrupt the bond between the Ki of the victim's body and the spirit's ability to manipulate it into expendable chakra. Time would tell if Danzou's hired torturer had succeeded or not.

She took a small squeeze bottle of sterile water and broke off the tip, allowing the fluid to run down his back, soothing and cleansing the area as gently as possible. She smoothed the dangling strips of skin back into place, while they were wet and tried to keep them as even and flat as possible. She blotted them dry with gauze 4x4's as she finished each small area. It was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle- but one she didn't find enjoyable.

Most pieces were just plain missing, torn loose and- well, it was better not to think about that. She wrinkled up her nose in disgust, but when she was done with that, Sakura took off her gloves and washed her hands again. She went to her basket of supplies and pulled out a broad, shallow jar of cream. With a fresh pair of medical gloves, she smeared the cream onto the skin she'd managed to save, making sure to use enough that the pale ribbons would not stick to her gloves.

"Naruto? Naruto-kun, could you…" She looked up when he didn't answer and smiled when she realized he was asleep, right next to Sasuke. The situation as a whole wasn't funny, but she was wishing she had a camera which made her blush.

Her eyes wandered to the clock nearby and she took a moment to stretch after removing her gloves and washing her hands. No wonder Naruto had zonked out. She'd been working on this for almost three hours. She was tired too; this week had left both of them emotionally exhausted. She still had a lot to do though.

With a sigh, she found the burn cream Shizune had packed for her and applied the slimy yellow goop to the worst of the scorches first, working her way along slowly and gently. This was the most likely step to wake Sasuke, but he didn't stir, and most of them were centered in the middle of his back. The scarring would be the worst there, simply because that was where he was missing the most skin.

For the damaged muscles that weren't badly burned, she smoothed a large amount of clear salve on them. Then she took out a pinch of delicate special fibers that had always looked to her like pale yellow cotton balls and tucked them up into the gashes, making sure they stuck to the gooey salve. When she finished with all of that, Sakura draped a clean sheet over him. Bandages would have to wait for the next time she had to put the creams and lotions on him. As long as he was comfortable enough to rest this peacefully, she wanted to let him.

Then, she went into the bathroom and took a long, hot shower, scrubbing away all the blood on her felt like heaven. The bottles in the shower were dusty, but she managed to find some shampoo and conditioner and washed her hair too. After that, she threw an old robe around herself and came out to check on her patient.

Naruto had scooted a bit closer, and was lying curled up with his back up against Sasuke's arm. Sasuke hadn't moved though, so she crept to the closet and pulled out something that wasn't bloody to wear. The only thing that caught her eye was a simple, dark dress, but the material was soft and comfortable, even if it was a little musty. She slipped it on and curled up into the recliner in the corner; using the bathrobe for a blanket, she was asleep in minutes.

Sasuke growled, as he started to wake up.

_What the hell…_

The sensation that his chin was lying in something cold and wet was just gross and that was why he _never_ slept on his stomach. About that same time, he also felt pain- _lots of it-_ all in his back.

He stirred slowly, unable to figure out why both of his arms felt like lead weights at his sides and why one was quite a bit warmer than the other.

The room was near dark, golden light poured in along the edges of the curtains indicating the sun was setting, but he could see enough of the furniture to know that it looked a lot like his parent's room…

A shape stirred in the overstuffed recliner to his left and he realized this _was_ his parent's old bedroom. The small figure curled up in the chair turned out to be Sakura; her pale hair shone softly in the waning light. She looked like an angel; with the sun's glow giving her its warm, ethereal beauty. She was loyal, brave, determined and beautiful, but he didn't love her.

_No, that isn't quite true... _

During his absence he'd thought of her often at first- especially her stunning green eyes when times were hard. But in the end, he needed a stronger anchor to keep resisting Orochimaru's cruelty. Sakura was still a friend, a teammate and a precious person, but when he thought of her now, he saw the sister he wished he could have had.

Ironically, the bond with Naruto that he'd tried so hard to break, was the one that kept the embers of hope alive inside him; hope that someday he would beat the snake at his own game and kill Itachi himself…

Something shifted on his other side and suddenly the edge of a ridiculous orange sleeve and a tanned hand were dangling awkwardly in front of his face.

Sasuke growled trying not to flinch when the arm moved again, lower this time, across his back. "Get off of me, Dobe…"

"Dobe? Sasuke? H-Hey!" Naruto jumped up off of the bed and then appeared in front of him, holding several small white pills and a glass of water. "Here, take these! I got them for you!"

Since it still hurt too much to move his arms much less sit up, Sasuke found it ridiculous that the hyperactive blonde was starting to look so disappointed.

"S-Sasuke? You're awake?"

He found himself glaring at Sakura too, who stifled a giggle. "I guess you weren't quite ready to wake up yet, huh? Well, too late now, but you must feel horribly stiff and sore. Your muscles won't feel as cramped if you take a bath or a shower before I doctor you up again. Which would you prefer?"

"A shower."

Sakura giggled again. "Okay, Naruto can help you with that. I'll go make us all something to eat, and then-"

"What?"

Naruto stared at her in disbelief.

"Yes, I've already had my shower, and he'll need your help to wash his hair because I don't want him lifting his hands any higher than his shoulders."

"Why?" Both boys asked at the same time.

"Because if you move too much I'll have to spend another hour or two putting your remaining skin back where it belongs, Sasuke-kun. That and it will hurt like crazy- so the less you move the better right now. Also, you were burned pretty badly, so be careful not to get the water too hot- in fact I think cold showers would be best for now."

That was an explanation that Sasuke could live with, so he was a bit surprised when Naruto squawked at her yet again. "What?"

"Honestly Naruto, you're both guys- he's seen one before, you know, and the water will be cold anyway so what are you worried about?"

"But-"

"Just get him in there and help him get cleaned up and wash his hair and then you can both come out and eat. Just try not to rinse off too much of the stuff I used on his back."

"But…" It was more of a whimper than a protest this time, Sasuke noticed.

"Is this about all those creepy things Sai said back when we first met him, Naruto?"

"N-No, but I can't just-"

"What _did_ Sai say anyway?" Judging by the way Sakura had worded her question Sasuke found his curiosity getting the better of him.

"He said-"

"S-Sakura-chan! Don't you dare!" Naruto grabbed his arm and yanked him toward the edge of the bed- without letting him try to get up first.

"At least _try_ not to pull his arms out of their sockets," Sakura growled. "Honestly, you get on that side of him, I'll get over here. Sorry, Sasuke, maybe I should have awakened you to take something for pain, but I knew plain old aspirin wasn't going to cut it."

"Hn," Was Sasuke's only reply, he was actually glad they'd let him sleep for such a long time and aspirin tended to bother his stomach anyway.

With help from both sides, he found he could sit up, and while movement of any kind hurt like crazy, at least he wasn't still stuck to his pillow. Sakura stayed while he was standing up too, even though he insisted he wasn't dizzy.

Once they were in the bathroom though, Sakura headed for the kitchen, leaving them on their own. "Try not to kill each other!"

"Girls…" Sasuke grunted, they both ginned and he looked at Naruto. "So, what did Sai say to you?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"It's obviously bothering you if you won't tell me. That isn't like you."

"It doesn't matter, let's get this over with, I'm starving and it looks like you are too. Didn't they feed you while you were locked up?"

"Hn," Sasuke turned his back on him and stepped out of his clothes before moving to turn on the shower. "You really don't have to do this, you know."

"Huh?"

"I've taken showers all by myself for years, Dobe."

"Shut up, Teme. If I let you hurt yourself, Sakura will _kill_ me!"

"I doubt it,"

"No really- Granny Tsunade's been training her and she's really changed- she probably could..."

"That's good to hear, but I _can_ do this myself."

"Sure you could, if you had to, but… you're not alone anymore."

Sasuke smirked at Naruto when he said that. "Well then get in here, this water is cold."

"Holy shit! Even my toes are freezing! How can you just stand there like that?"

"Quit jumping around, how old are we now?"

"Can't you be nice?" Naruto looked down.

"Look, let's just get this over with." That was all he could say. As much as part of him wanted to, Sasuke couldn't just kiss him again. He felt too vulnerable; he was in unending pain, and the only two people in the world that had ever really cared about _him-_ not his money, not his name or his power or his birthright- already had more reason than anyone else, to just leave him like that. He looked down. "Please…"

Naruto was starting to get mad; he was already flustered and confused, but Sasuke hadn't seen him blushing.

"_Look, let's just get this over with."_

He still couldn't believe he was standing in a cold shower with his best friend who'd tried to kill him twice and then given him the sweetest kiss of his whole life- which was just as random in its own way… Sasuke turned away, but not fast enough to hide the shame and guilt in his eyes.

Naruto saw that and was startled.

"_Please…"_

Sasuke was stubborn, self confident and cold- he wasn't supposed to look like that- _ever_. He also wasn't supposed to sound like that either…

It seemed so strange to see Sasuke looking so uncertain that he couldn't react for a moment- instead he just stared at him curiously. His face was hauntingly beautiful; no wonder he'd never been able to forget him or any of their arguments. Naruto drank in the sight of him- a little surprised that he felt like he was looking at him for the first time. The fine, elegant bone structure, his pale skin was flawless porcelain and his aristocratic profile was almost as sharp as his dark eyes.

Sasuke turned to look at the bottles on the shelves though and Naruto snapped out of his trance, grabbed the bottle he chose away from him. "I'll do it, Teme."

The Teme seemed far less than thrilled when Naruto squeezed the bottle and slopped a big glob of the creamy white soap on his head and began to push it through the fine, dark strands in every imaginable direction.

"There!" Naruto grinned at him proudly once he thought he had it all mixed around. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he let it rinse out.

"Wonderful, Dobe. Now can we try it with shampoo- preferably one that _doesn't_ smell like roses and vanilla?"

"Wha-" Naruto grinned sheepishly when he realized he was holding conditioner. His grin turned mischievous though. "Oh well, it smells nice, Teme- and your hair is already really soft and silky."

"Whatever." Sasuke turned off the water and grabbed a dry pair of towels, out of the closet next to the shower.

One of the fresh linens hit Naruto in the face. "Well, I guess that wasn't so bad… Uh- hey Teme- I mean Sasuke, I have to ask you something..."

Sasuke turned toward him immediately, his expression was guarded- but his eyes held a spark of challenge in them. That was enough to warn Naruto that the Teme knew _exactly_ what he was wanted to ask him.

Naruto was startled at the unspoken challenge.

_Did he kiss me as a joke?_

Naruto scowled, and blushed uncomfortably. The others hadn't arrived yet- they'd still been alone, so why would he choose that moment to get a rise out of him- especially like that? It didn't make sense.

He looked down. _Is he still just trying to push me away? _Hesuddenly felt even more nervous than before. His heart ached because he wanted that kiss to mean more than just one more way the jerk could mess with his head.

It took Naruto a few seconds to realize the door was open. "There wasn't anything to cook with so I made the ANBU go get us some take out and they pissed about-"

He and Sasuke were a good two feet apart, but Naruto knew what Sakura was thinking and he grinned. For a half second, her eyes got big and then she shut the door. She sounded flustered as she yelled at them. "Will you two idiots put some clothes on and come to the table?"

"Shh, I'll tell you later." Naruto said quietly, grinning at Sasuke. "Aww come on Sakura-chan you know you love it. And I won't even tell Konohamoru that you were spying on us."

"Naruto! Don't you dare tell that perverted little shrimp _anything_ unless you want me to throw your supper- your _Ramen_ in the garbage! How was I supposed to know you two were just standing there staring at each other like idiots wearing bath towels?"

He laughed as he heard her stomp back down the hall fuming.

"Something's different about her…" Sasuke sounded more annoyed than intrigued.

That made Naruto laugh even harder. "You have no idea, but I promise I'll tell you everything later." Then he had an idea. _How about a little payback for kissing me as a joke, Sasuke?_ "So you still don't like girls?"

"Women in general are fine, Dobe. I prefer to be the one doing the hunting." Sasuke shrugged, digging through his father's side of the enormous closet.

"That sounds so old fashioned," He sighed. Even after being tortured it was still hard to find the cracks in the armor around Sasuke's heart.

Naruto noticed Sasuke still hadn't picked anything out anything clean to wear yet; he just kept sighing and wrinkling up his nose.

"You're under house arrest; no one is going to care that you're having takeout in a pair of sweats, Teme."

"I want a button down shirt, that way I can put it on and take it off without needing to move very much, Dobe."

Naruto winced at that, Sasuke was handling the pain so well that he'd forgotten why they'd had to shower together in the first place, Sasuke didn't notice though. He moved to the large dressers across the room, then to another huge closet that Naruto hadn't even noticed before. "There they are."

"How come they took you so long to find? I mean you grew up here, right?"

"My father was a very busy man- but he was never too busy to make up another stupid rule that applied only to me. 'Don't play with the stuff in Itachi's room. Sit quietly at the dinner table. Stay out of Mom and Dad's room. Don't catapult vegetables at your brother even if he went back on his word-'"

"Wait! _You_ actually-"

Sasuke nodded, his expression was wistful as he loosely tucked in the front of the short sleeved black shirt he'd chosen after buttoning it up halfway. "I only did it once, believe me. I still remember the look in Itachi's eyes when that pod of snow peas dripped off of his forehead and landed on his plate. Hey, Dead Last, have you learned to eat vegetables that _don't_ need to be re-hydrated yet?"

"Gross! Why would I want to do that?"

Sasuke smirked as he walked away. "No reason I guess. I'll just keep enjoying being taller than you."

"Shut up, Teme. You're not _that_ much taller."

"Why does _everything_ have to end up a contest between you two rival Dobes?" Sakura growled at them from the kitchen.

Naruto slumped onto a random cushion at the dining room table. "It's because he's such a Teme."

"Hn." Naruto glanced at the other boy curiously, noticing at once that there was mischief in the sound and for a second, it was also reflected in Sasuke's dark eyes as he looked at her. _So that really means, "You're the dobes who missed me." _

Naruto couldn't help grinning at the other boy while Sakura continued her fuming attempts at ignoring their antics, as she passed around the takeout boxes. She never had been able to read Sasuke like he could; it made him strangely happy to see that hadn't really changed.


	6. Echoes of the Past

Chapter 6

"N-No!" Sasuke whimpered. He woke up afraid that he was about to throw up, gasping for breath and completely expecting to be back in the Itachi's clutches. Those long pale fingers ready to pluck out his eyes-

As he tried to collect his thoughts and quiet his breathing, Sasuke looked around the room.

The recliner in the corner was empty. Sakura had said she wanted to go home to sleep in her own bed to change her clothes and get the kinks out of her neck from sleeping in the old chair. Naruto hadn't been willing to leave his side on his first night in the old house though. Sasuke turned over and saw the blond beside him, sprawled out on the massive bed. He was glad to see that he'd really stayed. He knew he was lucky to have Naruto here with him.

He was tired and still sore even after the pain pills Sakura had given him. Sakura had done a first rate job of bandaging him, but his back still hurt and he couldn't sleep on his side yet. Unable to get comfortable again, he just sighed and tried to lie quietly.

He scowled looking around at the huge house that had been left to him. Why had the council made him settle here as one of their conditions for his return? The mansion was part of the dark memories that he'd left the village to try to escape! Why would they want him to live here- _are they __**trying**__ to make me go crazy by locking me up here with the ghosts of the past?_

Sasuke heard every noise the house made and the thunder outside continued as well. It had rained on and off while Sakura had applied various creams and treatments to his back and then bandaged him up after they ate, but now there was a storm raging outside.

He crawled out of bed and drew a blanket over his shoulders. He wandered through the darkness and found himself in the dining room where they'd had their take-out supper. Sakura must've cleaned up the boxes before heading home. He shivered as lightning outside illuminated the kitchen. He could almost see his mother standing by the sink in her apron, still beautiful, smiling warmly at him…

He paused in the doorway of the living room, glad that the chalk that'd once outlined his parents' bodies was long gone- but it didn't matter, he could see it anyway if he closed his eyes. Well, he could still see their corpses, Itachi still standing over them- only the traitor's Sharingan eyes clearly visible in the darkness…

He shivered and turned away.

'_So much time has passed and everything's changed- so why? Why does it still hurt like this?'_

Sasuke passed through a few more rooms like a ghost, wandering aimlessly, until he found himself at the door to the family dojo. He entered silently and lit a few candles and then looked around at the elegant banners that decorated each of the walls.

_Justice._

_Honor._

_Discipline._

_Pride._

As a boy, his father had told him early that the family dojo was off-limits for training. Itachi used it freely, but his brother was also the darling of the clan. Sasuke had never asked why- even then he'd had too much pride to complain when he already knew he was considered second best. He'd just done his best to accept it and concentrated on training outside in the forests and on the lakeside dock instead.

He'd mastered the Kanton on his own, but he'd never actually asked his father if it was alright if he trained in the dojo. He'd secretly hoped his father would ask him to train there with him like he had Itachi, but there hadn't been time…

Well, there was no one to ask anymore- he owned it all. In the next few weeks he'd have little to do besides train and meditate in here, and it would be nice to have at least one room in this gilded cage that could be truly his. He stretched carefully, paying close attention to the stiff, sore muscles in his back and shoulders.

He was in pain constantly whether he moved or not, so rather than stop when it hurt, he growled and pushed through it. He started with an easy warm up kata, and focused on grace and sensing his chakra rather than the pain. He was much too stubborn to give up; training was familiar and that made it comforting- even in these surroundings…

He finished that kata and began another, still moving slowly and carefully.

"Teme, do you have any idea what time it is?" Naruto yawned.

"Hn." He grunted.

"Hey wow- you really have your own dojo?"

Sasuke didn't answer him, he blew out the candles, but the lightning outside gave them enough light to see by in the wide open room.

"Uh, Sasuke?"

He was suddenly exhausted and he didn't really want to talk, but Naruto already had his attention. "What now, Dobe?"

"W-Well, I dunno, I just-" Naruto moved up to him hugged him- carefully to so that he wouldn't hurt him.

"Welcome home… I wanted to say I'm just really glad you're back." The blond could hardly spit it out, but he said it so warmly that Sasuke didn't laugh- or even push him away.

"Things won't just magically go back to the way they were. You know that, right?" Strangely enough, Sasuke got the feeling he was saying it more for his own benefit than Naruto's.

Naruto nodded, but Sasuke was glad that he seemed reluctant to let go. "Yeah... But things can only get better from here. I mean, this has to be as bad as it will get, right?"

'_I really doubt that, Dobe.' _Sasuke snorted, and Naruto laughed as he let go of him.

"I heard that, Teme. Don't be such a pessimist! So, uhm did Sakura leave?"

"Yeah." Sasuke shrugged. "Let's go back to bed."

"_Great_!" Naruto bounded after him with the same enthusiasm he remembered from when they were 12. "That means I can finally tell you what she was all upset about when she called us for dinner!"

"You've taken up _gossiping_ while I was gone?"

"Shut up, Teme, this is hilarious!" Naruto grumbled, but smiled again just as suddenly.

Sasuke listened with half an ear as Naruto told him about a lunch date he'd been on with Sakura when Konohomaru showed up. The story of Sakura scolding the two boys for the "Double Knockout Jutsu" was putting him to sleep quite nicely until Naruto poked him in the ribs.

"Hey, you're still awake, right, Teme? You can't miss the best part!"

Sasuke nodded vaguely and fluffed his pillow before nestling his chin back into it. "Hn."

"Okay, so Sakura's _still_ yelling at all of us when Konohomaru makes the seals again- only this time he and his shadow clone were- uh… both guys! That was the funniest thing ever. I've never seen Sakura stop yelling so fast in my life! Seriously! Next time she yells at me I'm going to do it too!"

Sasuke glanced over at the blonde. He was still excited by the story, but he was blushing- and now he was avoiding his gaze too. '_Two guys, so what? Why is he blushing like that?'_

Part of what had bored Sasuke about the first part of the story was Naruto's vivid description of the two girls and their perfectly shaped body parts, their exact positioning and even the fact that he remembered how their hair was arranged…

"Okay well, what was so great about that? What did these two guys look like?" Sasuke arched one eyebrow expectantly. _'What a weird story- unless he's trying to hide something from me?'_

"Err… why would you want to know about that?"

"Why not, you remembered every detail about the other jutsu, right?"

"Err…" Naruto blushed even more, drawing a chuckle from Sasuke.

"So I take it he used someone we know?"

"How'd you know that?"

'_How indeed, Dobe. You're terrible at hiding things.' _Sasuke smirked. "You're right; it is funny, that she liked _that_ jutsu."

Naruto was still blushing. "Well, yeah! She screamed Kyaaaa! What a game plan! Then of course she denied it."

"It must have been a pretty good illusion to get that kind of a reaction out of a girl."

"Yeah, I guess it was. Sai's suck a jerk sometimes though!" Naruto growled. "You would've been way sexier with anyone but _him_."

"Thanks," Sasuke laughed.

"I mean-" Naruto paused and just stared incredulously at him. It looked like the blond couldn't decide whether to laugh too or blush and hide under the covers. "Wait- you're laughing…"

"Why wouldn't I? I wasn't there so it isn't like I was actually involved." Sasuke said. _'If I had been I would've been with you.'_

"W-Well… I wasn't actually going to tell you, because… you and Sai are both guys- so I didn't want to… God, I really sound like a Dobe, don't I?"

Sasuke nodded, but he was really only thinking about the way Naruto had reacted to kissing him, but he managed to keep his tone light. "It sounds like it was pretty funny to me. I mean, I did like her for a while, but even then Sakura always did drive me a little crazy when she used to cling to me _all_ the time."

"She drove _me_ crazy when she did that to you too," Naruto growled.

'_So, you're still not over your stupid crush on her? What a love triangle that was…' _Sasuke sighed. "It looks to me like you two are close now though."

"Yeah? Well, I guess I thought so too! But this morning- on our way to find you, she… She said- we better off as friends."

Sasuke was stunned, he actually agreed with Sakura's assessment but he kept his expression guarded. He couldn't help remembering how stubbornly she'd pursued him without actually trying to understand him. He took that as a sign of her immaturity, was their pink haired teammate _finally_ growing up?

'_Sakura's a thousand times better suited for Naruto than you are,'_ the mocking voice in his head chirped happily. _'After all, wasn't that you who'd been remembering how you got raped by Orochimaru and then stayed with him anyway? Do you suppose anyone this innocent would want you if he knew how many times you-'_

"Hey?" Naruto nudged him.

Sasuke bristled, thinking about Orochimaru _always_ made him uncomfortable being so close to anyone. But Naruto's wide blue eyes captured him; he couldn't bring himself to look away. _'You're the only one I've ever wanted to love, but I don't want to hurt you anymore.'_

"What?"

"You okay?" His crystal blue eyes held concern and gentleness as he scooted closer. "What were you thinking about?"

"I… don't want to talk about it."

Naruto surprised him when he smiled. "Okay, then we can talk about what we should do you finally get out of here!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and snorted reproachfully. "That's depressing- thinking about a few _weeks_ from now. How can you be so stupidly happy all the time?"

Naruto grinned impishly and stuck his tongue out. "It's better than brooding- _all the time_! And we have plenty of time to come up with something extra special to do."

"Like what?"

"We could have a party?" Sasuke glared evilly at him and Naruto laughed nervously. "Okay, then how about we go out for ramen, and then go spar until we can't move anymore!"

"That'd just make us sick, Dobe; we should spar and then go eat."

The blond smiled. "Okay then, it's a deal! And you're buying since it was your idea and all!"


	7. Difficult Questions

Chapter 7

"Guys! Sasuke-kun! Naruto? I brought breakfast!" Sakura called down the hall as she approached the master bedroom, the door was open but she made sure to knock politely before peeking around the corner. She was surprised to see that Sasuke was awake, sitting in the recliner reading a book while Naruto was sleeping in the bed. "Naruto-kun! Get up! Go hop in the shower!"

"Five more minutes, please?" the blond lump protested, but it had already begun to stir.

"No! Tsunade-sama needs to see you so you better get moving," she said, grasping the covers from the foot of the bed, she yanked hard, pulling them off and exposing the blond all curled up in his orange boxers.

"Aww, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shivered in the bed and then hopped out of it reluctantly. He took a moment to stretch his arms and his back. "I take it we've got a mission?"

Sakura nodded and smiled, "Yep. Anyway, good morning, Sasuke-kun, are you hungry?"

"Hn."

"I hope that's a yes, but I have to hurry and get my stuff set up, so you eat and then I'll get started on your treatments, okay?" She caught Naruto grinning mysteriously on his way into the bathroom, but Sakura ignored him, looking instead at Sasuke. He was sitting in the chair, but he wasn't resting his back on it.

"What are you doing up so early anyway?"

"The Dobe couldn't keep his hands or his lips off of me while he was sleeping." Sasuke continued to read as he spoke, but he was practically purring when he said that- the sound was so alluring that it took an extra moment for the words themselves to sink into her head.

"He wha-" Sakura paused mid question and in her search for the burn cream when she heard that. He was looking at her now, and his expression was impossibly mischievous, which made her blush uncontrollably. "Oh gods… H-He told you? He told you didn't he? I mean about that stupid…"

"I thought the story was kind of cute, actually." Sasuke shrugged, returning to his book.

Sakura listened to the shower running in the bathroom for a moment and then she looked at him. "Do you… still want to know what Sai said?"

"Hn."

He looked up over the top of the book. "Well, Sai said a lot of mean things back when we first met him actually, but he was disturbingly obsessed with the size of Naruto's… uhm penis. Seriously, n matter where we were or what we were supposed to be doing he seemed to find a way to comment on Naruto's… equipment. At first he actually called him dickless, then after we all went to the hot spring together he kept trying to tell Naruto how tiny it was. He still calls me an ugly bitch, and he said you are nothing more than a spineless, gay traitor…"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Please. Sai's all talk. He took one look at me and fell on his ass. Someone ought to tell him that he shouldn't be wearing spandex if he's going to imply that he's got anything to brag about down there and trust me, you're _not_ ugly. On the other hand, so what if I do like guys better?"

"You do- I mean, you… really do like guys better?"

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes again. "That wasn't the point, but yeah."

Sakura blushed. "Sorry, you're right, it's none of my business, I'm just… surprised. Anyway, I guess Naruto and I felt like he should've tried to fit in with us, I mean, he was supposedly on our team but he wasn't you. I think sometimes he looked too much like you- but even Naruto said you were way too cool to be replaced by him. Anyway, could you come on over here and lie down please; I need to get this done before we are sent out."

"Later you two!" Naruto said, emerging from the bathroom fully dressed already. He stuffed a doughnut in his mouth on the way past them and smiled. "I'll come back before we go if I have time, but either way, you be good, Sasuke!"

As she carefully cut away the bandages along Sasuke's side, Sakura could almost feel the sinister glare Naruto was getting for that.

She giggled. "Come on, if _we_ can't tease you who will?"

"Why would I want to be teased?"

"It's rare, but you've been known to start your share of the bantering with us too, you know. Like this morning- I seem to remember a certain little wisecrack about how Naruto couldn't keep his hands to himself? Meanie! He really does like to sprawl out and sleep wherever though, doesn't he?"

"Hn." Needless to say she was pleased to see a nod of his head.

She knew somehow without checking that he was grinning too as she untangled the last bits of gauze and tape. "W-Woah. Oh gods… S-Sasuke- How did you do this?"

She stared at the wounds without really believing her eyes. Sasuke's skin was still horribly torn up, and there were still countless burns and ugly scorches crisscrossing his muscular back, but the small pieces she'd been able to smooth back into place just yesterday were now firmly attached, and the chakra flowing through that each one told her they were healthy.

"It's not a jutsu; the ANBU waiting outside would've known if it was something I did. That is the power of the white snake- Orochimaru actually caught one and used it in countless experiments on his own body. Its healing power is stronger when I'm sleeping because my chakra isn't being used for anything else. I have all of Orochimaru's other powers too."

Sakura paused, thinking hard. "You know, I thought your back looked a little bit better last night after dinner too, but I really thought that must've just been my imagination… Sasuke, Lady Tsunade has to know about this so she can decide what to tell the council. I mean, if Danzou thinks you're skipping out on your sentence he'll try to force the rest of the council to kill you again."

"I know, but unless they decide to keep me awake continuously, I don't know how they can stop it."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, it's looking better, but even at this rate, your back will always be… badly scarred."

Sasuke shrugged. "That's the idea."

There was a comfortable silence in the room as she smoothed various creams and lotions over his wounds, and she could feel Sasuke's breathing deepening beneath her hands as if he were falling asleep again. She smiled to herself. Of course he'd never admit it, but she knew he must be tired after everything that'd happened to him lately.

"I'm sorry we're leaving so soon right after you got back," she said. She wouldn't have minded letting him rest, but she wanted to get him bandaged up so that she wouldn't have to bother Shizune or Tsunade about sending someone else to do it when he woke up later.

"Orders are orders." He shrugged.

"I know; it just… seems wrong to leave without you again…"

"Even if Tsunade-sama does decide to put me back in Team 7, we won't always be a team, you know. Aren't you a Chuunin these days? You're already qualified to lead missions of your own, you know."

"I've lead a few low rank missions, but my heart hasn't been in my missions since you left. I think that's why Lady Tsunade put up with us looking for you for so long…" She helped him stand up and began to wrap layers of gauze bandages around his wounds.

"You mean you still saw the three of us as kids so she let you two keep acting like kids?"

"That's a really mean way to put it…" Sakura scowled at him, but it didn't stop her from nodding reluctantly. She finished wrapping his wounds and turned to put everything back into the basket.

"Hn."

Unable to interpret that, Sakura sighed and changed the subject. "Sasuke- I… I can't leave today without asking you one thing…"

"What is it?"

"Those things you said to Naruto when we found you at that creepy snake pit- how could you?"

"I really thought you were smarter than this, Sakura. Orochimaru and Kabuto could've been watching us from anywhere that day. I couldn't say I was glad to see you because they would have killed both of you. To protect you, I had to keep pushing you away. And another thing, what I said about the two of you being a distraction that was true; I was distracted in my training for weeks after you showed up. Luckily, Orochimaru believed I was angry with you for finding me."

"You _attacked_ us, Sasuke-kun and-"

"I had to; I told you, if Orochimaru saw any reason to think that I still cared about either of you he wouldn't have let you walk away. I knew he would only buy my indifference if I depended on your teamwork to protect each other and for the most part you did."

"But we could have fought him together!"

"How could I attack him when I still had more to learn?"

Sakura looked away, letting her shoulders sag. "I guess that leaves me one more question. Was it really worth everything you put us through?"

"Why are you asking me these questions when you already know you won't like my answers?"

"Because I need to know that there's still something left in you of the Sasuke I thought I loved! Don't you owe us that much?"

"I'm giving you the truth, because I _do_ owe you that much."

"Then tell me, damn it! Was your training and revenge worth everything you put us through? Was it worth my heart, and Naruto's? How about Orochimaru- I was there, remember? I saw the way that disgusting freak looked at you. Was your revenge worth more than the sick things he did to you?"

He gave her a fierce glare, and she swallowed hard, but she kept eye contact. She knew Naruto wouldn't have asked him any of these questions yet, but for the sake of their future trust in Sasuke, they needed to know...

The silence lengthened as their stare down continued, and she took his silence to mean that his bond with her was never as strong as her bond to him. Those painful thoughts made her eyes prickle and they filled with tears; so she was startled when Sasuke suddenly looked away. "By was it worth it, I suppose you basically mean would I do all of it again?"

She nodded but felt her heart sinking as she looked into his icy black eyes.

He was quiet for so long that she put a gentle hand on his arm. "My brother finally told me the reason he left me alive, and knowing that I stopped him makes it worth everything. I'm not proud of the road I took to get there, Sakura. But, I got my revenge and where he is right now, Orochimaru is no longer a threat to anyone; so yes, I _would_ do it again."

"I guess I don't understand. What could Itachi possibly say to you that would justify everything that's happened?"

Sasuke looked down. "He wanted my eyes."

"What do you mean? He wanted you to join him or-"

"He needed my eyes and- I almost didn't react in time to stop him."

"Y-You mean he- he really tried to…?" Sasuke nodded and Sakura shuddered, unable to speak. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and held him gently. "I'm sorry, Sasuke."

He looked truly confused. "What for?"

"I guess I always thought maybe he went crazy or had some other excuse no one knew about for what he did to your clan- I never dreamed he could've really been a completely heartless monster."

"He said if I had the Mangekyou Sharingan too, then he would be immortal if he replaced his eyes with mine."

"That's disgusting!"

He smirked coldly. "Yes, but I got his head so it's too late now."

"That's disgusting too, so don't look so happy about it!" She growled, and went back to putting her healing supplies away. The next time she looked at him, Sasuke had a clean navy blue button up shirt on and he was reading again. "Don't tell me you're reading the same crap Kakashi-sensei does…"

"No. This isn't nearly that interesting." Even behind the book she could tell he was smirking. "It's an exhaustive, _dryly written_ history of the Uchiha clan. I'm trying to find out more about Uchiha Madara."

"Uchiha Madara? I've never heard that name before."

"My father once told me that he's the statue facing the First Hokage at the Valley of the End, but other than that I don't know much about him either." Sasuke tossed the book aside and she finally noticed that there were already six other books and a few scrolls scattered along the floor around the recliner where he was sitting. "I'll be in the library."

She nodded and looked at the pile and picked up the book he'd just been reading. "I suppose this means he'll always be obsessed with something…"

She was just about to put the book down when she noticed that there were two pages that'd been torn out. She turned it upside down and shook it, but nothing fell out. '_So, the torn pages are missing, is that why he gave up on this book?'_

She thought about going to ask him why his search was so important to him, but decided to finish getting ready for her mission and tell Lady Tsunade about it instead. She'd been in the expansive vaults and libraries under the Hokage's mansion, so it was possible that she might be able to find out something that would help Sasuke- or at the very least, help them to understand _him_.

* * *

Sasuke was awake instantly- but he didn't turn on the light or even open his eyes. He forced his body to remain still and relaxed while he used his chakra to search the darkness around him.

The flicker of chakra that'd roused him out of the dream was gone, but it was enough to warn him that he wasn't alone. He'd always been a light sleeper, but after being kidnapped numerous times out of his room for the dark Sannin's enjoyment, he'd learned to detect disturbances in the chakra around him even while sleeping. He sensed no one in the room with him, but he focused harder and still felt nothing out of the ordinary in the surrounding rooms.

There was yet another storm going on outside tonight, and the house felt quiet, much like it had several nights earlier, but he knew instinctively that he wasn't going back to sleep tonight. He used his chakra to search out the presences of the masked ANBU shinobi who'd been assigned to enforce his house arrest.

He sat up in bed when he realized that he couldn't feel them _anywhere_ around the compound. The clock read 3:25, but the time was irrelevant. The ANBU didn't report to him, but he knew they would not leave their positions around the mansion without some sort of a replacement already present.

He paused, they could be suppressing their chakra intentionally waiting for the chance to attack him, but that was extremely unlikely. Even with Naruto and Sakura gone for the last two days, he believed that Tsunade actually wanted him to return, whatever was going on, it was not the Hokage's doing.

He knew that Danzou hated him- but he would be signing his own death warrant if he defied the wishes of the Hokage and the rest of the council by attacking him _now_, without some sort of provocation on his part.

So, if the Leaf wasn't planning to kill him, did that mean that the chakra he'd sensed was someone attacking _them_? Assassins after him would definitely have to take out his captors to get to him…

As if answering his thoughts, he heard a subtle noise on the other side of the wall- Itachi's room. Sasuke growled as he slid out of bed. _'So much for not fighting until I'm healed.'_

He couldn't move his hands above his shoulders without pain yet, but his strength was returning quickly and he pushed his body relentlessly in the dojo. He supposed he could tolerate the confinement, but he didn't trust anyone to watch his back while Naruto and Sakura were on their mission. Sooner or later he knew he'd be attacked here- whether it was a bunch of drunk over zealous young genin who wanted to make a name for their team, the ANBU loyal to Danzou or a cold reminder from Kabuto that the Sound hadn't forgotten him, it didn't matter. He had no intention of relying on Konoha's ANBU to protect him.

He used the Sharingan to create a genjutsu of the hallway being empty while suppressing his own chakra as much as possible and extended the illusion to make it look like he was still in the bed asleep. The door to his brother's bedroom opened and for a half second Sasuke actually expected to see his brother standing there, staring at him dispassionately.

The huge silhouette was one he didn't recognize, and the man didn't see him. He crept out of the room and held up his fingers behind him. As he crept farther into the hall, lightning gleamed off of the Sound headband the man wore and Sasuke bristled instinctively.

Rather than wait for the assassins to attack, Sasuke summoned his chakra into a Chidori that covered his whole body and hammered three fingers into the soft part of the man's throat. His attack destroyed his illusion that the hall was empty but Sasuke didn't care.

The leader fell in a heap, unable to breathe. Sasuke leapt over him and smirked coldly as he grabbed a slim young woman by the throat she gave a horrible scream of pain as the current from the Chidori sizzled through her body and she slumped to the ground already only half conscious. The third intruder wasn't as startled as the other two and attacked him with a kunai, but Sasuke only twisted his body to the side, bringing the girl with him so the assassin stabbed her instead. Sasuke dropped his living shield and continued to smirk ominously.

"You asshole!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, feeling morbidly amused. "You came here to kill me; I can't help it that you aren't good enough to pull it off."

"Maybe they aren't but I'll bet I am."

Sasuke paused, the voice behind him was familiar, but he couldn't think where or why he'd heard it before…

The Chidori current was still enveloping him like a shield, but now the assassin in front of him didn't look scared of him anymore and his chakra told him that the one behind him was considerably more powerful than these three morons.

"Like I said, it's time to see just how tough you really are."

"So, you just couldn't wait to see my pretty face again, eh?"

Sasuke laughed coldly as the man under that mask stuttered.

"Y-You're a traitor to this village, and you'll never belong here."

_'You helped assassins from Sound infiltrate Konoha and you dare to call **me** the traitor?' _Sasuke was seething inside but he kept his face a mask of cold amusement and touched the summon tattoos on his wrists and smirked when a pair of mammoth white snakes appeared at his side. These serpents were loyal and seemed hungry since they attacked immediately. He sent both of his pets after the third member of the Sound team and spun to face the masked ANBU who'd helped escort him to his torture sentence.

He caught the man's sword in both hands and easily snapped the blade after using Chidori's power to weaken it. The man threw the shattered blade's hilt to the floor but grabbed a pair of kunai instead, keeping one at the ready in each hand.

Sasuke was glad to be fighting; he needed the adrenaline rush to get rid of some of the stress he was under. The Sharingan showed him every move the idiot was going to make before he made it, and the intruder's actions began to show his fatigue. His attacks grew wild and desperate, it was only a matter of time before he'd make a mistake Sasuke could use against him.

Sasuke had no intention of letting the coward leave alive when he knocked him to the floor. But before he finished the hand seals to call his sword to him, something struck him in the back of his head and everything went dark.

* * *

**Author's Note**: As much as I looooove killing OC's, I love cliffies, more!! Who KO'ed Sasuke? When are Naruto and Sakura getting back, where has Kakashi been all this time? The list of questions just goes on, huh…

I'm looking forward to your reviews!!


	8. Guardian Angel?

Chapter 8

Kakashi was tired; it was late and he'd just spent over an hour in Tsunade's office reporting on the attempt on Sasuke's life. Now he just wanted to get home, but he was glad he'd been in the village to sense the spike in Sasuke's chakra. Not that he was ready to say that to Sasuke just yet. He was also glad he'd obeyed his instincts and gone immediately to see what was happening. He knew that Sasuke was spending absurd amounts of time training his mind instead of resting; but after this, Kakashi couldn't exactly blame him for being wary.

He knew Sasuke; and that kind of a chakra surge wasn't training. It was smaller than the wave of dark power that Naruto, Sakura and everyone else had described when they'd watched Sasuke overpower Juugo's terrible rage with nothing but chakra. Tonight it wasn't driven by any particular need, but it felt just as focused- just as deadly as Sasuke himself had become.

He was glad that he'd been there to stop him from summoning the sword. But, the imposed ban against him holding much less using weapons during his house arrest wasn't really about the weapons at all- and Sasuke was smart enough to know it. Anyone could see that Sasuke had enormous reserves of power; like Naruto, he was already the very definition of a living, breathing weapon- and also like the blond, he was still developing. Even as badly injured as he was, he could've killed his attackers tonight simply using the techniques he'd had since he was twelve. No, the weapon restriction's point was meant to assess his self restraint and Sasuke had been ready to break it after only three days?

His former student's recklessness made him angry, but Kakashi couldn't exactly call it a surprise. After all, Sasuke's ancestral home held dark memories that no one should have to face alone…

Kakashi had arrived on the scene first. As one of the people who'd always known Sasuke the best, he was still remarkably attuned to his chakra just as he could sense that of Naruto, Sakura and Iruka. This was lucky for Sasuke because it wasn't just the Hokage's ANBU who had been on hand to investigate that huge spark of chakra. All the other villages were worried about the possible threat level posed by the last Uchiha. No one wanted to risk the rise of another Orochimaru. Each village's Kage had insisted on sending a number of their ANBU representatives to help determine whether or not he could be controlled.

But with Sasuke, it had always been more a question of whether he would _allow_ himself to be controlled. He'd had just spent the last three years proving that he was too smart, determined, and ambitious for his own good. With his fiercely independent spirit, if he couldn't be trusted, then stopping him wouldn't be just the Fire Country's problem. The council, along with the other Kages, was making sure that Tsunade knew the position she was putting them in. On the surprisingly positive side, Gaara adamantly believed that Naruto would be able to make Sasuke see that this was still his home and where he wanted to be.

Kakashi ran his hands through his wild hair and sighed. He wanted to believe that the kids he'd watched grow up were right; after all, Sasuke had allowed himself to be brought home alive but the Jounin just didn't want to risk trusting him completely again. After training alone with him just before stage two of the Chuunin exam, he knew better than almost anyone else how incredibly stubborn Sasuke could be…

"So, what do I do with him? He's nothing like you but he's really the last member of your family… Unfortunately, he's more like me than ever now, and I think that's why it hurts so much… I don't even know what I'd do in his place."

The storm from earlier had passed and the memorial stone glimmered in the moonlight that flickered though the swift moving clouds, but there was no answer from Obito.

Kakashi sighed, he should've gone home. He wondered if Iruka knew he was gone yet. If the chuunin did, Kakashi knew he would probably be spending the rest of his night on the couch…

A strong gust of wind rustled the trees all around him, showering him with leftover raindrops and bright green leaves. Kakashi sputtered, and started to shake off the water. Then he paused as he felt the prickling tension along the back of his neck that indicated someone powerful approaching him. On instinct, he ducked behind the stone and shuddered as he caught a bit of a conversation.

"I told you," A cold male voice said. "This brat is dangerous. We all know what must be done; the Uchiha is beginning to ask questions. He _knows_ something."

"That's impossible, it's ancient history!" It was a woman who answered and she sounded just as angry as the first voice. "Itachi is dead by Sasuke's own hand and if you hadn't been so impatient in the first place then perhaps the Third was right after all-"

"There was no other way! But I see that time has made you soft."

"Perhaps I've simply grown wiser as we've gotten older? Apparently you've forgotten what really happened. The Third _tolerated_ our decision- he **never** agreed with it."

"Koharu, Danzou, that's enough of your bickering!"

Kakashi was startled as he realized why these voices seemed so familiar; it was all three of the most respected village Elders? Stranger still, '_why are they still arguing over Sasuke?'_

"This is neither the time, nor the place to be digging up the past," The councilman continued more evenly. "I suggest that for now, we just wait and see. Lady Tsunade never allowed the Uchiha to be fully interrogated or tortured for information on the chance that he can indeed be trusted. She also knows she already has a much easier means of getting information from him. Whatever his real intentions are, he did come back _willingly_ so all we have to do is sit back and continue letting Uzumaki Naruto and Hurano Sakura befriend him. Sooner or later he will tell them where he heard the name Uchiha Madara."

Kakashi scowled. _'Uchiha Madara?'_

Koharu spoke again. "Yes, we must wait. If the boy dies now, then the Leaf village will loose one of its most potentially valuable resources. There must be no more mistakes."

Danzou snorted his resentment. "You mean the Sharingan?"

"Of course, he is the only one who can pass it on."

"It amazes me that you want that abomination preserved when you know its history…"

"Dark history or not, the Sharingan's power in battle is still undeniable. It has made Hatake Kakashi one of our most powerful ninja and he only has it in _one_ eye, which is slowly but surely loosing its extraordinary power. The Uchiha clan has never been known for fertility problems and the Sharingan doesn't favor either male or female wielders so every child he sires will probably develop it."

"And I suppose your interest in the rebirth of his clan and thus the bloodline limit has nothing to do with the fact that you have a great granddaughter that's about his age, does it?"

"Enough- he's a teenage boy not a breeding stud!" Homura snapped. "Now, this decision has already been made; the citizens of the village are wary because of all the tension among the shinobi, and as news of the attack on the boy spreads, it will only get worse. The Hokage was right when she spoke at the hearing; the Leaf must band together now and abide by our own decision or the other villages could attack, exploiting our distraction as the weakness it is."

Kakashi stayed hidden silently in the shadows, watching them separate. "They already knew about the attack tonight? Well, they were all wily old veterans of countless battles and were used to political intrigue, and he knew they had to have an endless supply of contact too. And yet, something about their meeting tonight still left him deeply uneasy.

* * *

"Why?"

Naruto glared at Sai. The two of them stood facing each other, beside a stream. What does he mean _why_? Why was Sai so jealous of his… friendship with Sasuke? It was starting to look like it and since Naruto couldn't define it as anything but friendship because-

"**Right, Kit,"** Kyuubi chuckled interrupting his thoughts. **"Because best friends kiss each other like **_**that**_** all the time, eh?" **

Naruto growled audibly at the Bijuu's amusement, but Sai nudged him.

"Why," Sai asked again. "I just want to know why you still care so much about him when he's nearly killed you more than once? You've risked everything for him! Would he have done any of that for you?"

"Yes. He's risked his life to protect me more times than I can count, Sai." It was the truth; he thought with pride. Sasuke was a fierce and powerful shinobi warrior- yet Naruto noticed that his voice didn't sound as certain as he meant it to. Those times had been mostly in the past- _before_ the cursed seal.

"Sasuke knew he was still risking his life rather than just his freedom when he let us bring him back here, Sai. Sasuke also told me the morning we left, that he had no choice but to act the way he did when you first met him," Sakura said. Her eyes were downcast and sad. "He was protecting all of us from Orochimaru."

"You've said that, but Sakura, what makes you think he was telling you the truth?"

"Captain Yamato, you didn't know Sasuke before, but it's his eyes when we found him at the lair. They were so dead… I wouldn't have believed it was him if I hadn't seen that look with my own eyes… He refused to come home with us that day, but that encounter did give him back the will to live and fight Itachi himself. Whatever happened between him and Itachi- it must've been horrible though. He told me that Itachi tried to take his eyes…"

"What do you mean, Itachi tried to take his eyes?" Naruto demanded.

"Sasuke told me that Itachi thought he would gain immortality if he replaced his eyes with Sasuke's."

"What?" Naruto shuddered remembering all his other encounters with the ice cold murderer. If anyone could come up with the idea of stealing his little brother's eyes, then it would have to be Itachi- the man already struck him as inhumanly cruel, this only confirmed it. "Gross! No wonder he can't sleep!"

"Adjusting to being back is still going to take time, you two," Yamato said. "However powerful he may have grown, he just killed his own brother. So, if he _didn't_ seem to be showing physical symptoms of emotional distress, then I'd be deeply concerned about his mental state. The Hokage will make sure that she has someone she trusts watching over him for that very reason. But, if you really believe in him the way Lady Tsunade thinks you do, then you already know he won't let you down by wasting away now, right?"

Naruto nodded reluctantly.

Yamato gave a small reassuring smile. "Alright then, let's get back to tracking these guys so we can head home."

* * *

_The monster was using those murderous eyes again, shaping still another genjutsu around him, and once again it took time to collect himself, to fight off the images that were being projected in his mind. _

"_For decades, members of this clan killed their best friends to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan and then sacrificed their younger siblings to make its power permenant! Our clan was forever tainted because they couldn't stop flaunting their power! Your fate has been drenched in blood since the day that you were born an Uchiha!"_

"_Now face me, my little brother! Once I kill you I'll be transformed… I'll be freed from this clan's wretched destiny!"_

_The writhing fingers of pure shadow waved almost hypnotically as they reached for his eyes._

He shuddered, trying desperately to awaken- to find a way out of this nightmare…

"_Sasuke!"_

_Itachi still had him bound by the swirling mass of shadows- snapping; reaching again and again for his eyes- the one chance he had to escape that nightmarish memory- he closed his eyes._

"_Any ideas of limits, of capacity will be shattered forever. You and I are each other's spare! That is the bond between all Uchiha brothers!"_

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke sat up in bed; unable to do anything but try to keep breathing; he didn't even realize the voice that had awakened him was real until it spoke once again.

"Hey, you okay there, Sasuke?"

"Pakkun?" As his heart rate and breathing finally began to slow down, Sasuke sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Must've been some dream," said the ninja hound. "Glad to see you're awake anyway."

Sasuke looked at the talking animal skeptically. "So it was Kakashi who intervened."

"Yeah, well he was up all night thanks to the excitement around here, so he left me to baby-sit." The ninja hound ignored his scowl and kept speaking in his usual calm tone. "Looks like an old friend of yours stopped by earlier, but your house was literally crawling with ANBU so he just dropped off your little housewarming present. I'm willing to bet he'll be back in a few days though when things settle down again."

"What?"

"Look behind you."

Sasuke couldn't twist his body without pain, so he stood up to look around. The room looked normal enough, but lying in the bed beside his pillow, was a little ball of fur, all curled up. Pakkun's expression remained impassive, but Sasuke didn't doubt that the ninja hound had encountered ninja cats before and probably already knew the kitten would grow up to be one.

The Ninja cats and Uchiha's had been allies for many generations, predating even the Leaf's founding fathers, but he was still surprised, and touched by the Elder Cat's generosity. He knew that the Elder saw all the ninja cats as her own children and for her to send one of them back here...

The Elder was too kind and he sensed that as ridiculous as it seemed to him, she apparently thought of _him_ as one of her kittens too. The ninja cats around the Clan's compound had been his playmates and closest friends as a child. He'd idolized his brother more than anything, but where that love had turned to hatred; he'd never out grown his love for the intelligent, but playful ninja cats. The mansion was painfully quiet without Naruto and Sakura, and having a growing ninja cat in the house would definitely lighten things up.

Pakkun snorted, and jumped up on the bed. "Aren't you going to wake her up?"

Sasuke hesitated and the pug huffed out a deep breath. "Looks normal enough to me, but she'll never survive on her own at this size… You have to keep her."

He nodded and sat down on the bed, watching the kitten's soft breathing. Her solid black coat was still baby fuzz but it looked soft and thick. She was so tiny that her whole body looked like it would fit neatly in the palm of his hand.

Finally, Sasuke reached over and stroked her tiny shoulder. The kitten stirred but didn't awaken; instead, she covered her eyes with her paws and her tail and rolled onto her back. Sasuke smirked, brushing the tip of one finger lightly along one of the kitten's tiny paws. The kitten rolled partially back onto her side again and her ears twitched back as she cracked one blue eye unhappily.

Sasuke smirked, looking down at her. "So, what do I call you, little one?"

"I-I don't have a name yet. Elder Cat decided when I was born that you should name me."

"Why did she decide that?"

"I was born just as you arrived at our home- and the Elder took it as a sign of things to come, when all of my brothers and sisters were stillborn. She is afraid for you. She told me that something familiar and evil is stirring again." She stood up and stretched.

"So you are here to protect me?" He made sure his expression was dubious.

The tiny kitten scowled and arched her back as she hiked up her tail indignantly. "You are Uchiha Sasuke; my ancestors once swore a blood oath to serve your noble clan and-"

"It'd be best not to say _that_ too loudly these days." Pakkun interrupted.

The kitten looked around, wide eyed and crowded closer to Sasuke. He smirked and petted her back, enjoying the softness of her silky coat.

"Y-You're a ninja hound?" She looked over the edge of the bed at Pakkun.

"Yep."

Sasuke saw the way the kitten shrunk back and hung her head and he smirked. "He's a friend; his master was my sensei."

"Then you-you won't send me back?"

"No one else was close enough to have heard that, just be more careful in the future when you use your ability to speak. Deal?" Sasuke shrugged. He scooped her up in one hand and looked her in the eyes.

The kitten gazed back proudly. "Okay, I promise, I won't let you down again."

"We'll see, but I guess I should name you if you'll be staying..."

"Okay! How about Bagheera? Or Isis-"

"How about half pint? Or Knucklehead?" Pakkun drawled, getting a scowl from the kitten.

"You're just jealous because I'm cuter than you. I'm gonna be a great house guardian and protector, and I'll be the best ninja cat ever!"

"You've got a lot of growing up to do first." The hound observed dryly.

"I'll do whatever it takes! You'll see."

"At least I know what to call you now."

"You do?" The ninja hound and the kitten both looked up at him, startled.

"Angel," Sasuke said quietly.

"Should call her Sassy or Pest instead," Pakkun grumbled.

Sasuke smirked; he could almost see the kitten turning the word over and over in her mind, behind those luminous, liquid blue eyes.

"I like it. I'll live up to that name too," she promised. "I'll be your Angel."

"Oh goodie just what this place needs; a pint sized ball-of-fluff house pet with a lot of attitude."

The kitten looked down at Pakkun over the side of Sasuke's hand and glared at him. "And what does that make you- a quart?"

'_Angel is definitely a ninja kitten alright,'_ he smirked. It was perfectly normal to have a ninja cat accept attention and affection from just one member of the house it watched over- and it was usually children that they bonded with the best. His mother had two ninja cats close to her, so it had been hard to get away with _anything_ as a boy- but the rest of the cats had been devoted to Sasuke.

Spirited, intelligent creatures of honor, curiosity and elegance, the ninja cats were ideal as the guardians of the homes and children of shinobi. The animals were capable of fending for themselves while their masters were on long missions and they knew how to observe their territory and the people close to them without being detected. As such, it usually took an extremely powerful genjutsu to fool the eyes of a ninja cat in its home territory and they were fiercely loyal to those they chose to bond with. They often learned clever techniques that allowed them to distract intruders and warn their bonded family of danger too. Yet these same creatures were playful, warm and affectionate in times of peace, so he'd been heartbroken when he woke up in the hospital bed after Itachi's betrayal. When he ran home only to find that even their ninja cats were no where to be found- he'd never felt so horribly alone…

Later he found out that a few had survived, but they now lived with the Elder Cat in the safety of the abandoned village. As glad as he was to see them safe, he had always resisted the urge to approach Hina and Denka in their new territory. Apparently, that had been very wise. Except for her coal black coat, Angel reminded him strongly of Hina. Obviously she wasn't a purebred Siamese like her father, but those baby blue eyes and her sassy spirit reminded him of the kitten he'd raised.

"I-I'm hungry…" The kitten said shyly.

Sasuke stood up, still holding the kitten. "Hn. Come on, Pakkun."

* * *

"Is that the last of the stolen supplies?" Sakura asked, placing yet another crate onto the back of the wagon. She wiped her bow with the back of her hand and looked around.

"Sure is," Naruto said, the tall mare was done drinking so he put down the water bucket and patted the cart horse's neck. "Captain? You need any help over there?"

The enemy ninja wore a sound headband and Sakura had already dressed his wounds so that he could be brought back to the village for questioning. His whole body was bound by Captain Yamato's wooden restraints; he could've talked if he chose to try, but Naruto wasn't surprised that he remained stubbornly silent.

"No, I'm fine, is Sai back yet?"

"My scouts reported that there is no one else still in the area but us, Captain."

"Good, we should head back. Someone else will take the wagon to the northern watch tower where it belongs. I want to get back to the village. The Kages have all sent ANBU warriors as envoys to Konoha, so things must be tense there."

Sai nodded, without any expression at all.

"What?" Sakura looked as stunned as Naruto felt.

"Everyone is afraid that Sasuke can't be trusted."

The prisoner laughed bitterly. "Anyone who gets close to _that_ little viper ought to watch their back. Orochimaru's plaything is nothing more than a soulless traitor like that brother of his that everyone was so afraid of. You Leaf shinobi were fools to take him back! Kabuto-sama has done you morons a favor, but if you hurry, you might just get back in time for the funeral."

Naruto was on the injured ninja in a second; his eyes were red with the Kyuubi's chakra. "W-What? What do you mean a funeral?"

"After he betrayed Orochimaru-sama, Uchiha Sasuke was marked for death by our shinobi. Any Sound ninja that encounters the bastard is ordered to kill him on sight- even at the cost of other goals. We will hunt him to the ends of the earth if we have to, but that traitor will _die_."

* * *

**Author's Note**: The opening of this chapter is not intended to read like it is occurring simultaneously with the later scenes.


	9. Secrets Revealed

Chapter 9

It was after noon and Kakashi was sitting outside of the Hokage's window. He'd only just arrived; in fact, he'd more or less just rolled out of bed to tell her about his visit to the memorial stone last night. He hoped he'd get to go back to bed after this, but he flipped the page of his favorite book, and smirked beneath his half-mask when he heard the woman swearing at Shizune for waking her up _again_ with still another handful of papers. The younger woman balked and ran out of the room.

He crawled through the window. "Hokage-sama, you seem busy, shall I come back later?"

Tsunade sighed and settled into her chair as she absently toyed with a stack of files. Books, old files, and a number of scrolls littered the top of her desk, completely obscuring the usual mess of mission paperwork and city ordinances, and her expression was tense.

"No. Something that Sakura told me right before she left troubles me… Are you sure that everything has been quiet?"

Kakashi nodded patiently, without looking up or waiting for her to explain. "Only an idiot would move on him again while he's this heavily guarded, and Sound isn't that foolish."

"I mean Sasuke- what is he thinking?" She sighed, leaning back in the chair. Kakashi noticed the dark circles under her eyes looked heavier than they had last night. "Why would he be this curious about a man that was dead so long before he was born? I'm glad Sakura told me, but I can't find much on him either- it's like it wasn't enough that he died at the Valley of the End."

"You mean Uchiha Madara, right?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, just before the team was to depart, she came back to my office to tell me she was worried about Sasuke. She said he seemed to be obsessively combing his clan's entire library looking for anything he could find on Madara- which was surprisingly little- it's like the village and even his own clan tried to erase his very existence… I thought you said you hadn't spoken to him though- did you change your mind last night?"

"No, after I spoke to you, I went to… ask for some advice- but I ran into the Council Elders instead."

"Last night? The Elders were out on the old training field by the memorial stone?"

Kakashi nodded. "They didn't notice me- they were too busy arguing amongst themselves. They were already aware of Sasuke's interest in Madara, and they were fighting about what it meant to a secret they all know. Itachi's name came up but so did the name Uchiha Madara. My first thought was the massacre of Sasuke's clan- but of course, the timing makes no sense. Everyone who actually remembers the name Uchiha Madara already knows that he died at the Valley of the End fighting your Grandfather. Even Itachi couldn't have actually met Madara. Homura and Koharu told Danzou that he was being paranoid, but it was clear they're all concerned about something. They've agreed to sit back and watch what happens, but Danzou is still angry. Hokage-sama, whatever secret they are guarding- The Third knew about it- and apparently he tried to stop them."

The silence in the room got heavy as Tsunade's hands slipped to one of the files and tightened unconsciously, crinkling the folder and the papers inside. Finally, she looked up. "Did they say anything else?"

"Nothing- except that Councilwoman Koharu wants Sasuke to have lots of kids…"

Before he could finish speaking, they both turned to stare at the door of the office- because it sounded like a bull was charging toward them. And it didn't take long before the door crashed open and a breathless Morino Ibiki staggered in, panting.

"Lady Tsunade- it's done! Hatake? Hokage-sama, I'm sorry to disturb your discussion but I'm actually glad you're here, Kakashi." Moreno Ibiki said, his face was somehow more serious than Kakashi had ever seen it before.

"So you finally finished the Justu?" The Hokage asked.

Ibiki nodded with a grim smile. "Breath of the Dying is the most difficult- and dangerous of all the different Memory Jutsu to use, but I think you'll agree that the information we got was worth the risk, Hokage-sama."

Kakashi just stared at him, incredulous. "You used _**that**_ jutsu on one of last night's assassins?"

"Of course not," Ibiki laughed bitterly. "It has taken us this long to use it on Uchiha Itachi."

Kakashi knew that the forbidden interrogation jutsu would've been especially difficult to use on a true Sharingan master, but for it to take this long after Itachi was already dead- now _that_ was impressive.

"He knew this jutsu because we taught him to use it while he was a part of ANBU; he's made certain there is no way for us to play back all of his memories right now. He knew that he would be fighting his last battle so he used his Sharingan to prepare traps within his memories, just in case his body was not recovered by his Akatsuki allies. Even in death he remains one of the deadliest shinobi that the Leaf has ever produced. I'll admit, we've lost two of my best men to the genjutsu traps guarding his mind, but ultimately, the technique did work; just now, we were finally able to finish examining his last battle. This… was a rather brutal encounter, that will make it difficult for you to watch, Kakashi but I think you should see it too. This is only my memories of the jutsu they were using; no matter what you see or feel, remember that there is no danger here- so don't move or try to interfere, understand?"

"Yes." After they both answered, Ibiki focused his chakra and the Hokage's office became a damp chamber of cold, gray stone and heavy shadows. Kakashi had to remind himself that this was Itachi's point of view when he saw Sasuke emerge from the shadows across the room.

_He could already sense the promise of untapped power in the teen's Sharingan, as well as Sasuke's deadly intentions. There was a part of him that felt sad that it really had come to this after all for Sasuke. But, another part of him was fiercely proud that he'd had a hand in helping to shape the boy. He'd always sensed that Sasuke was destined to become one of the most powerful shinobi in history._

"_What do you see, with your Sharingan?"_

_Kakashi shuddered involuntarily. Hearing Itachi's smooth, condescending voice in his mind again startled him, stirring memories he thought he'd forgotten, but a gentle hand on his shoulder helped him to center himself again. He knew without looking that it was Tsunade. _

"_What do I see, Itachi?" Sasuke growled- his voice was low and dangerously quiet. "With the power I've gained, I see one thing, and it's crystal clear. I see you, dead."_

"_You see me dead?" Itachi's soft voice was mocking and venomous. "Well then, let's see how good your eye sight is."_

* * *

"Uh, Captain Yamato-" Naruto started to ask, he couldn't hold still; he'd been restless, bounding along beside the wagon for miles, but now they were finally approaching the village's massive gate.

Sai scowled, but Yamato laughed, shaking his head slightly. "Yes, you can both go see Sasuke now. Sai and I will…"

Naruto noticed that he and Sakura were both grinning like idiots as they broke and ran toward Sasuke's. Naruto noticed right away that the entire village was under heavier guard than it had been when they'd left.

"I see your mission must've gone well for you both to have returned looking so youthful and exuberant!" Called an energetic voice from above them.

"Hey! Gai-sensei!" Naruto leapt up onto a nearby water tower to talk to him. "Is it true? Did Sound really try to kill Sasuke while we were gone?"

The Jounin looked startled, but he managed a nod.

"B-But he's okay, right?"

"Naruto-kun… the Hokage-sama wanted to tell you about this herself, haven't you talked to her yet?"

"Well no, but Captain Yamato said that he and Sai would turn in our report so we could go see Sasuke- I just wondered if what the ninja we captured told us was really true or not."

"You've brought back a prisoner who already knew about the assassins? That is interesting news, my young friends! I just returned from a mission myself, but Kakashi asked me to take a look around before he went to see the Hokage a while ago."

"Kakashi-sensei's been around?"

"Yes, my great rival is a bit tired, but he was the first to notice that something was wrong last night."

Naruto grinned at how proudly Gai announced that. "Is it okay if we go inside?"

"As long as you promise to go see Lady Tsunade later on, I suppose the two of you can go check on your youthful friend. Now that you're here, I will to go see if anything else is needed."

"Thanks Gai-sensei! See you later!" Naruto called after him.

As they approached the gate of the mansion proper, Naruto's smile faded, two masked ANBU shinobi stood beside it, and one had the symbol of the Leaf on his mask- but the other was from the Sand.

"Halt!" The ninja from the sand reached for his sword as he spoke, but his companion spoke casually.

"This is Uzumaki Naruto and that's Hurano Sakura. They're the kids you were told about. They've been on a mission, but these two have access to this place and the Uchiha whenever they request it."

"Understood. Proceed."

Sakura grinned as they slipped through the front door. "That was kinda cool, I guess we get to visit Sasuke whenever we want, but it was weird seeing the guards at all."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, before I knew they were around, but they had been really careful to stay out of sight."

"Yeah, so you know there's got to a bunch more of them who are still hiding too- I just can't believe anyone- even Sound Village would've attacked him here."

"I don't see what the big deal is. They were sloppy; this time was only a warning." Sasuke growled, leaning on the door frame leading into the kitchen.

Naruto grinned. "I guess you must be pretty bored though if you were waiting for us."

"Actually I just started supper when I heard you come in."

"Naruto? Sakura? Now that you're back, can I be unsummoned now? This kitten is driving me crazy!" Pakkun looked up at them pitifully from the kitchen doorway. He waddled awkwardly past Sasuke and turned around so that they could see the black kitten that was biting on his dog vest and tugging it backwards.

"You're letting a baby kitten beat you up? That's so cute of you to play with her." Sakura laughed.

"Careful, Angel's tougher than she looks." Sasuke said mysteriously, he leaned down and picked up the kitten. She squeaked indignantly but then melted into his hand, and began to purr contentedly as Sasuke rubbed her neck behind her tiny ears.

"**I want to eat it."** Naruto was startled by the Kyuubi's thoughts in his mind. He knew instinctively that the demon wasn't talking about Pakkun- he meant the kitten- but why?

'_What was that, Fuzzball?'_

"**You heard me. That thing may look sweet and innocent now, but just wait. Ninja cats are much worse than ninja hounds. They had special intelligence that allowed them to bond with their Uchiha masters and warn them of danger; some could even control their chakra well enough to create their own genjutsu to distract their enemies."**

Naruto laughed- it sounded ridiculous, but even as Kyuubi talked, Sakura walked over to them. It was clear that she only wanted to pet the kitten, but she hissed and laid her ears back flat against her head before settling back down for Sasuke.

"**The cats were said to be gone after his clan was wiped out, but that kitten is definitely one of them. She is a mortal animal, but she will learn to control her chakra by watching him and she will use it to protect him and everyone close to him with her life. But until you have earned her trust, she will regard you as a rival."**

'_Because of Sasuke you mean?'_

"**Yes. It doesn't matter how she found him here; she already recognizes him as an Uchiha by his powerful chakra, and instinctively considers him to be **_**hers**_**. Cats pride themselves on their supposed independence, but they are still instinctively territorial, and that includes jealously guarding their human companions."**

The kitten was clearly annoyed when a timer suddenly beeped in the kitchen and Sasuke put her down and walked back into the kitchen. Angel immediately bounded after him, her tiny legs scrambling ungracefully as she tried to run across the now sleek and polished hardwood floor of the foyer.

Naruto grinned and followed them around the corner. "You must've decided to do some cleaning while we were gone. It looks great."

"Thanks, but there's still a lot to do."

"So what are you making?"

"Macaroni salad and some sandwiches sounded easy. If you hand me the noodles, and help me cut up these vegetables, you and Sakura can stay... if you want."

"I never knew you could cook." Naruto grinned and picked up the bag of uncooked shell macaroni on the kitchen table, but he looked it over distrustfully. "These look funny…"

"My parents always said trying different foods was part of becoming a great shinobi. When you're on a mission and you need to blend in, being familiar with the foods commonly served in different places helps a lot."

Naruto handed him the bag, aware that he was still scowling at it, and Sasuke smirked.

"Itachi always said he didn't believe it either..." He trailed off uncomfortably, shivering as if he'd just realized what he said and quickly turned away as he ripped open the bag.

Naruto watched him pour the noodles into the boiling water, and felt guilty because he didn't know what to say to comfort him. But before he could say anything, a few pieces escaped, clattering to the floor. Angel scrambled around their ankles to pounce on the strays, and suddenly the tiny pieces were whizzing across the floor in every direction.

They both watched laughing as the kitten began skidding wildly around the kitchen after the shell shaped macaroni. She ran and then couldn't stop so she spun in circles- on her belly, side and even twice on her head. She only seemed to stop when she collided with them, a cupboard door, the table or one of the cushions, but she'd no sooner stop and shake her head than she'd see another noodle and took off again. They made so much noise that Sakura and Pakkun came in to see what was going on.

"Isn't it about time for you to take a nap yet, Tiny?" Pakkun asked after a moment, and Angel hissed at him before scrambling across the room and skidding into another noodle.

* * *

Kakashi felt like he needed to sit down.

The entire fight had been a series of illusions within still more layers of genjutsu- and Sasuke had taken control of them, one layer at a time. The boy's normal Sharingan had grown dangerously powerful if he could literally restructure an enemy's genjutsu while trapped within it- but when Itachi cornered him and taunted him by reaching for his eyes, Sasuke found a faster way to fight it- he literally tore the alternate reality apart. He wielded Orochimaru's powers so easily that even Itachi hadn't been able to sense the Sannin's energy being drawn. There had been no warning at all- but Sasuke never realized Itachi's attack had been just another ruse.

Kakashi completely understood the teen's desperation; he'd been tortured too long already and what he'd just seen made him want to throw up.

The evil psychopath hardly even resembled the brilliant young ANBU Captain he'd worked with so many times in the past. Hell- Itachi'd tortured him too; he _wanted_ everyone to hate him.

Itachi's last emotions had been anger and bewilderment at the sudden explosion of power from his little brother. He hadn't been expecting Orochimaru's powers to manifest like that but he'd felt a lot of pride too at the last moment, when he'd realized that he'd underestimated Sasuke and his control over the powers he'd gained.

But why had he drawn the poisoned kunai? The weapon and the poison on it were very real, so why use it if he'd meant to die fighting Sasuke all along? It was almost too much to take in all at once- but what did it all mean?

'_Get stronger. I only hope I've done enough to prepare you to face __**them…**__'_ The bastard's last mortal thought had been one of fear- for his little brother. It didn't make sense, but it would've been touching; except that everything facing Sasuke right now was entirely Itachi's fault in the first place!

"Y-You're sure this is what happened?" Kakashi winced at the hoarseness of his voice, but he looked Ibiki straight in the eye.

The scarred man nodded grimly. "I must admit even I wasn't sure what to make of any of that at first. But this is the second time I've watched the entire sequence, and I believe I know why Itachi seemed to really crack when Sasuke destroyed the illusion. Throughout the fight you could both feel that Itachi was weakening; physical battle sapped his strength much faster than the illusions. He went there to die; but for his brother to be seen as a hero for killing him, Sasuke would have to be found there too. I don't think Sasuke was weakened enough to be captured if he had not been poisoned, and Itachi knew it. He continued to make Sasuke hate him even more as the fight progressed, so he didn't want his brother to know that he never meant to kill him; we can assume he must've weakened him hoping that someone would find him and save him."

Kakashi nodded slowly. "He had a lot to feel guilty about if he was dying anyway. Naruto mentioned that one of his shadow clone scouts ran into Itachi while we were all searching for a trail to follow. I think Itachi must've told him where that creep was going to be waiting to distract us. Naruto let his shadow clones stay with us while we fought with Tobi, but he ran on ahead. He didn't tell us because he must've thought it was impossible that Itachi would've tried to help us, but how else could he have found Sasuke so quickly?"

"If you're right, then we're very lucky Itachi wasn't sending him into an Akatsuki ambush down there- unless Akatsuki are actually the ones he wanted to warn Sasuke about." Tsunade sighed, settling into her chair. "But at least now we know why Sasuke got so interested in Madara while he was gone."

"Sasuke never heard it. I felt him blocking Itachi's thoughts with his chakra as he killed him, but no matter what we aren't telling him anything of what we just saw." Kakashi growled.

Tsunade nodded whole heartedly. "Agreed, the boy's in enough pain already. I made certain that his term of house arrest would be short because you think the less time he spends alone; the more quickly he will adjust to being back. But after what we just saw, are you still willing to stand by that prediction, Kakashi?"

"More than ever, Hokage-sama."

"Well, that's comforting. I wouldn't want to let Sasuke out next Friday otherwise."

"He's healing that quickly?" Ibiki looked stunned.

"Yes, Sakura's initial tending of his wounds must've been flawless. Add in the regenerative powers he inherited from Orochimaru and I expect he'll keep getting stronger once his chakra recovers fully." She smiled almost sadly. "Naruto doesn't know when yet, but he's really looking forward to Sasuke's release even though it means they will be doing nothing but D-missions for six months. I've decided I will follow your other advice and try to keep them together as much as possible from now on. Another month of strict evaluation on B and C ranked missions and then the two of them will finally get to retake their Chuunin exam."

"Are you sure that is wise? I mean, we'll probably still know very little about what the boy is actually capable of by then…"

Kakashi growled. "We aren't the only ones with a lot to loose here. Betrayal has shaped Sasuke's entire life, but he still met us half way when he accepted the council's terms."

Tsunade nodded. "Kakashi's right; as long as our bargain remains unbroken, Sasuke will risk it and stay because we have something he needs."

"What is that?" Ibiki asked suspiciously.

Two voices answered him at once. "Naruto."


	10. Freedom's Kiss

**Author's Note**: While I realize that the movies aren't considered canon, I like the Ninja Clash in the Land of the Snow; so it's being mentioned in here.

* * *

Starting Over

Chapter 10

The past few days had been fun, but almost too quiet. The ANBU hadn't come back into the house since he'd been attacked, but they were still stationed around the compound and they remained very aggressive with their perimeter enforcement at all hours, while the entire district was under a strict curfew at night. In fact, when Sakura left every night, she got an ANBU escort home, while Naruto had simply kept staying with Sasuke.

His back was a bit sore, and this movie was boring. Sasuke adjusted the pillows on the sofa and sighed. To wear himself out so that he could sleep at night, Sasuke had been spending most of his time trying to straighten up his ancestral home. And now that they were back, Sakura and Naruto had been pitching in to help, even though he hadn't asked them to. With the entire first floor now clean, they were taking a break tonight to watch some movies.

They were all sharing the big sofa, he and Angel were on the far end; she was purring on his lap and her tiny tail flickered occasionally, but her eyes were closed since the TV didn't interest her. Sakura was on the other end, hugging a throw pillow and the popcorn bowl, while Naruto had the middle all to himself. Sasuke felt like he was half asleep as the second movie drew to a close, with its predictably happily-ever-after ending and the male and female lead characters engaged in a sweet kiss.

Somehow, all of the stress of his past and the future a million miles away; Sasuke liked that. In fact, he liked it more than he was comfortable admitting- even in his private thoughts. He sighed. Having his only real friends beside him again had allowed him to forget everything that lay ahead for a while. It almost seemed like all three of them were closer than ever- it was strange but nice that they hadn't fought or argued once all evening. It felt kind of like they'd found their own little happy ending.

And yet, at the same time, he knew that getting back to the village was really only the beginning. The hard part of returning would be facing the general scorn and distrust of the village day after day. And why should they trust him- he'd left them once; he could do it again easily enough.

There was no use dwelling on the predicament he was in, he knew that, but it was hard not to think about it. He'd been looked down on and even pitied by most of Orochimaru's subordinates too. For years most of them saw him with Orochimaru and assumed he'd been kidnapped and was being held captive. Those who knew the truth pitied him because he'd knowingly walked into a trap that should've killed him like it had so many others. Sasuke shivered as he remembered the place in the snake's mind where the likeness of all the other people he'd used were stored… He'd been very lucky that Orochimaru had waited as long as he had to try the jutsu, but that only showed how much the Sannin had under estimated him…

"No matter how many times I see that movie I still love it," Sakura giggled, startling him out of his thoughts as she sat up and stretched. She turned to glance at the clock on the wall. "I better go, you guys. I promised Sai that I'd meet him early tomorrow."

"What for?" Naruto sat up, looking surprised.

"We're meeting at the library; both of us need to do some research."

"What is it with him and books anyway?" Naruto sighed.

"Some people actually do _like_ to read, Naruto. In Sai's case, it's mostly just because he has so little experience just relating to people. But after that, we're going out for lunch together. I think he's feeling left out. By the way, did you ever find what you were looking for, Sasuke?"

"No."

Sakura seemed disappointed that he didn't elaborate, but his thoughts still weren't really on her.

"Would you like me to see if you can find anything on him at the public library tomorrow?"

"I can't find anything interesting here, so I seriously doubt that whoever stripped these books would've overlooked the collection there."

"You're probably right, but it wouldn't hurt to look, right? Anyway, if you two still want to watch these two other movies, I'll leave them here and pick them up tomorrow evening to do your treatments again, okay Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"Okay! Bye Sakura-chan!"

"See ya."

Naruto grinned and grabbed the throw pillow Sakura had been snuggling with and whacked him with it. The blow jostled Angel and she high tailed it for the kitchen with an unhappy hiss. "Would it kill you to say actual _words_ to her every now and then, Teme?"

"What? And miss a chance to have you to tell me what a Teme I am?" He snorted, smirking challengingly. "What would be the fun in that?"

"Asshole."

"That word has seven whole letters in it; you didn't hurt yourself coming up with that, did you?"

"Yeah, whatever." He grumbled and picked up the movies off of the coffee table. As he flipped through them his face lit up with a brilliant smile. "Hey! We have to watch this one!"

"What is it? Movies haven't been very high on my priority list for the last few years…"

"Yeah, Teme, I know you're even more boring than you were before, but this movie has our friend _Princess Gale_ in it!"

"There's a shocker," Sasuke smirked. "I do remember you were a big fan of Fujikaze Yukie though."

"You know, I still have the autograph you got for me…"

'_Autograph?'_ He arched one eyebrow skeptically. "What are you talking about?"

Naruto blushed. "Yukie's don't you remember? It was in a little envelope with cute rainbow stickers on it? It's great that she said so many nice things, but I kept it because _you_ gave it to me…"

"What? Why?"

"Well, no one had ever- I mean… Even Iruka-sensei only ever gave me presents on my birthday and stuff…"

'_A present?' _Sasuke looked away uncomfortably. It made him feel guilty, that Naruto really saw it as a big deal, because if he'd known it'd meant that much to the Dobe, he might never have done it...

A lot had happened to him in the last three years; hell, he hadn't even remembered going on that stupid mission in the first place until a few hours ago. It'd been so simple to hand her that stupid sheet of paper and ask her to write something for the Dobe. She'd decorated it lavishly with girly stickers and he remembered that the scent of her perfume on the envelope made his nose itch. He'd held onto it so he could give it to the blond anyway and Naruto spent most of the trip home sniffing it and sighing. It had been easy for him to forget because he'd been so annoyed with the smell and the Dobe's antics.

Leave it to Naruto to turn a single autograph into such a big deal! On the other hand, that type of memory was all Naruto had; the village had been cruel to him for so long. Even though Sasuke had pretended he never noticed until they were put on the same team. Naruto had more reason to hate Konoha than anyone- yet he loved it completely… "Forget it; it was just a stupid autograph…"

Naruto smiled sadly. "Not to me. It was one of our last missions together before you left, remember? It reminded me that you must still care, because I never had a chance to ask you to get it for me- you just did."

Sasuke snorted. "It wasn't exactly a secret that you wanted her autograph when you chased her all over the movie set and the surrounding countryside for over 8 hours trying to get it yourself, Dobe."

"But Kakashi and Sakura-chan knew about that too and they didn't think to get it for me, right?"

"Naruto-"

"Relax Teme. I'm just trying to say thank you."

"Fine. You're welcome, but…"

"So, we're gonna watch it, right? Come on! This is her best movie ever!"

"You said that about the other one that we watched earlier too, Dobe."

"That's because these are special- they were made after she went back to being the real Princess of the Land of Snow!"

"Fine…" Sasuke sighed, he felt a headache coming on but he just shook his head quietly- at least with Princess Gale in it, this one wasn't going to be another stupid romantic comedy like that last waste of time.

The movie was better than he thought it would be. But just as the Princess and her warriors were about to storm the gates of the enemy lord's fortress for the final showdown, a heavy weight bumped him hard, pressing his slowly healing back, heavily against the sofa cushions. Sasuke growled- it hurt like hell, but when he realized it was a sleeping Naruto, he squirmed around into a more comfortable spot and sighed, quietly watching him sleep instead of the movie.

The blond looked exhausted; as if he'd worried the entire time he and Sakura had been gone. Sasuke didn't want to admit it, but he hadn't slept much while they were gone either. Naruto had always been everything to him- even when he fought to deny it. Sasuke's bond with him was still as natural as breathing. His back had been bumped hard enough that he could feel blood seeping from one of the deeper wounds, and yet, he was half hard anyway.

'_Wonderful.'_ He was injured, and he _still_ couldn't trust himself with Naruto. That was why being this close to the blond and trying to be "just friends" was not going to work. Watching the other boy sleep, he tried to keep his thoughts from sliding into the gutter. Now that he was back, the only thing Sasuke wanted was to know if he'd made the right choice in coming back or not.

He didn't care what anyone in the village would think of him for wanting his best friend. If he really cared what anyone else had ever thought of him or his ambitions, then he wouldn't have left the village in the first place, much less settled his past and survived it! He was stronger than those fools would ever be able to understand. Naruto was what mattered. Their kiss had been every bit as passionate as Sasuke'd hoped it would be, but that didn't mean Naruto would want a physical relationship with him. That was why getting too close too soon would only make things harder later on.

Besides, Sasuke had already agreed to the council's demand that he would eventually marry and raise a family of little Sharingan wielders. It had been one of the council's first conditions for his survival, and while Sasuke didn't like it, he hadn't protested because he hadn't been ready to really process what Itachi had told him yet. Now that he'd had a few days to think about everything, Sasuke was becoming more and more uncomfortable with the bargain he'd made. Itachi's words were impossible to forget, and they stung.

He didn't want to believe him about Madara and his brother, but he'd always known that his clan was feared; that was quite likely the reason why. If it was true, then his clan- his _family_ had taken the common practice of "selective breeding" among the clans and knowingly used it for something much worse. He'd done a lot of things he wasn't proud of for power, but now he didn't want children at all. Not if it meant they would someday fight each other for power…

"S-Sas'ke…" Naruto whispered, frowning in his sleep as if he could sense Sasuke's unease. Sasuke reached out instinctively and touched his hair, smoothing the silky golden strands with just his fingertips.

How many nights had he dreamed about something like this happening when he was in Sound? He sighed, _'All of them.'_

When Naruto was quiet again, he growled and slipped out from under him. He was going to take a _cold_ shower before heading to bed, but he already knew that wouldn't solve the problem- it just postponed it.

* * *

Even in the shade, the sunlight hurt his eyes as he stepped out of the house and onto the porch beside Naruto. They were both dressed for a workout on a hot day. The blond was wearing an orange tank top shirt with the sides almost completely open and a pair of his usual black wind pants and sandals. Sasuke had on a sleeveless hoodie in royal blue with his clan's symbol on the back and a pair of charcoal grey cargo shorts.

He was still stuck wearing his dad's old clothes because he hadn't been able to go shopping while he'd been confined to his house, and he refused to go near Itachi's room. He felt self conscious; the clothes were nice and had never seen much use, since his father had been a workaholic and was nearly always found wearing his Jounin attire. Everything was a bit too long and broad in the shoulders for Sasuke though. It made him feel young and awkward.

He kept his expression composed, but he did felt a little bit excited. A week and a half of house arrest seemed like a long time- even though he knew he was originally scheduled to be confined for three weeks. Never the less, it was his first chance to look around the village in a long time. On his last trek through the town, Sasuke hadn't been able to take in the scenery because he'd been busy drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Welcome home, Sasuke! I bet if feels good to be outside, huh?" Sakura giggled. Tsunade stood beside her in the sunshine; she was smiling too, but not as broadly as Sakura or Naruto.

"Hn."

"I know you and Naruto had made plans for today over a week ago, so I just came by to put this on you. Don't loose this. While you're being evaluated, you'll need to wear it, at _**all**_ times. It's a form of chakra locator; as long as you are wearing that, you're free to do as you please in the village when you're between missions. Wearing this will keep the ANBU from breathing down your neck."

Sasuke nodded and watched quietly as she slipped a braided leather bracelet onto his right wrist and noticed at once the single crystal obelisk that adorned it. It looked unmistakably like the blue crystal that Naruto always wore around his neck.

"So does this mean we can go out to training field 5 and spar?"

"The Elders don't want Sasuke fighting in any capacity this soon, but I disagree. You do need to keep your strength up and stay sharp. So, as far as I'm concerned, you two can train whenever you're not on an assignment. Since the elders don't want either of you participating in anything tougher than D-Rank missions for a whole six months, you'd both go stir crazy without some exercise. Just remember this is only sparring so I don't want to have to mend any shattered bones or third degree chakra burns. Is that understood?"

Sasuke nodded and Naruto laughed. "Yeah, yeah, Granny..."

"Alright then, Welcome home, Sasuke-kun and have fun today."

The Hokage disappeared in a puff of smoke and Sakura grinned at something behind them. "Aww look, Angel's going to be lonely without you today. She's pawing at the window to get to you."

"She's a ninja cat, she'll get used to it. Besides, she's smart, she'll figure out how to get in and out of the house on her own in a few more days." Sasuke shrugged.

"So, what are you going to do today, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura giggled but pressed the toe of her sandal into the sidewalk, avoiding their gaze. "Sai and I made plans early this morning to go out to a movie."

"You've been with him every day since we got back. You two sure are spending a lot of time together." Naruto scowled.

Sasuke growled, he didn't want to talk about Sai at all and he didn't want Naruto to keep pining away for their pink haired teammate either.

"Well, he is feeling pretty left out. I guess I am too- with you two starting out on D-rank mission duty tomorrow, that's pretty much the end of Team Kakashi. Yamato has already resumed his duties as an ANBU captain and Kakashi's used to working alone. You've got the next seven months to get ready for the Chuunin exam… And that just leaves Sai and me. I really am glad you came home though, Sasuke."

Sasuke grunted and gave a slight nod, which made both Sakura and Naruto laugh.

"Alright, alright," She giggled as she turned and headed for the compound's front gate. "I can take the hint, see? I'm leaving! Go on, have fun without me!"

"I'll race ya…" Naruto grinned mischievously as he bolted up over the top of the house.

The timing annoyed Sasuke, but he chased after the blond anyway, with every intention of beating him out onto the training field. They took the rooftops as Naruto had always been fond of getting around that way, and yet they still managed to startle quite a few of Konoha's citizens who were quietly going about their daily lives.

The training field looked exactly as he remembered it, which was a bittersweet reminder that Kakashi still had yet to talk to him…

"Well Teme, are you ready?"

"You were really looking forward to this, weren't you?"

Naruto shrugged confidently. "You aren't the only one who spent the last three years training, Sasuke. Last time we saw each other, you surprised me, but I know not to put anything past you this time."

Sasuke smirked and they began to circle each other.

Surprisingly, it was Naruto that lunged first. The blond and his kunai were quick, but Sasuke dropped onto his back and kicked him hard over his head.

Naruto landed in a feral crouch and sprang again.

The warm-up was impressive, each of them were demonstrating greater speed and strength than they'd possessed only months earlier.

Punches, kicks and kunai were flying everywhere as they became nothing more than a blur in the field. Sasuke hadn't realized how much he missed this; training in an environment where he didn't have to watch his back by keeping the true depth of his power a secret from Kabuto and the dark Sannin. For the first time in a long time, he wasn't using his elemental powers, there was no genjutsu to overcome, but there was still no time to think- only to act and react.

Though compared to what he was used to, this was closer to a game than a battle, Sasuke was glad to see that their rivalry remained as fierce as ever. Their sparring was brutally fast and hard hitting- they'd both be sporting dozens of bruises, and he knew Naruto was equally determined to win.

It hurt, but he stepped into the blond when the edge of a kunai grazed his ribs. His elbow hammered Naruto's chin and threw him down hard.

Sasuke pounced while he was dazed. "Hn. I think I won again, Dead Last."

Naruto growled but looked away. He took a moment to sit up as their breathing tried to return to normal. His eyes were worried the next time they met. "Hey! I thought I missed- but you're bleeding!"

He shrugged. Yes, the kunai had left a thin line of blood across his stomach, but he'd been lucky, the damage was mostly confined to his shirt.

"Don't just sit there, Teme; we have to go get you healed!"

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes but he didn't need to say anything; the blond seemed fascinated as he watched the wound close until it disappeared. Leave it to Naruto to be surprised by that even though he'd been healing that way for _years_. Naruto's concern for him was genuine though, and that made it a turn on.

Damn his body for responding this way to the adrenaline that was still in his system, but Naruto's body was warm and already half hard and he looked so kissable that he just wasn't ready to let him up yet…

* * *

He stared at the unblemished pale skin behind the raven's torn shirt, frowning. "Does it still hurt? Sometimes even when the wound is gone, it still aches for a while after the Kyuubi heals me…"

"Hn." Naruto scowled as he looked up at Sasuke, understanding from the raven's amusement that the grunt meant. _'Its fine, Dobe.'_

He sighed, looking around. According to the sun, it was already well after noon, so it must've been one hell of a battle. Now he wondered if they should go eat now or go for another round of sparring.

"You know, you haven't asked me to move yet…"

"Well then why are you still sitting on me?" Naruto blushed when he had never been so embarrassed, but the raven didn't budge.

"So you want me to _move_?" Sasuke purred, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Naruto gave a startled groan when Sasuke shifted forward in his lap a bit more, causing an unexpected jolt of pure pleasure in his cock to resonate through his whole body.

Still reeling from that bold move, he growled. "Don't be an ass, Teme!"

Sasuke smirked, and leaned forward to pin Naruto's hands to the ground. "I hadn't planned on it."

He was about to get mad, but that part of his mind simply shut down when Sasuke leaned down and kissed him lightly.

Just like in the ruin, it surprised him, but it still felt _right, _so he kissed him back.

This time, Sasuke's strong, sleek body pressed closer to him and a pool of liquid desire formed in his belly. The kiss was soft and sweet like before, but it was slowly deepening to something so intense that it was almost frightening. He'd never been so aware of his body before. He didn't want to stop, but this passion he couldn't seem to get enough of whenever they kissed was a little confusing.

He had no idea how long they'd been kissing, but he finally did pull away to breathe. "Sas'ke…"

Sasuke chuckled, and nuzzled his neck, teasing the sensitive skin of his throat with a light, silky brush of his tongue.

He grasped Sasuke's shirt roughly, and kissed him hard this time, wondering why he just couldn't seem to get enough of the raven. He also couldn't understand why Sasuke still seemed in complete control of himself- yes he was kissing him back, but always gently...

"Naruto..." Sasuke whispered. He looked thoughtful and maybe even a little nervous, but Naruto growled and squirmed out from under him anyway.

"Teme!" He was too embarrassed to look at him, so he turned away. "You never even told me why you… did that the first time and now you did it _again_?"

"You never asked..."

Furious, he whipped around to yell at him, but then he remembered that Sakura had interrupted! It had been easier to pretend it hadn't really happened than to try to ask him again. Naruto felt guilty, but as he looked up to apologize, he realized the field was totally empty- Sasuke was already gone!


	11. Settling in?

Starting Over

Chapter 11

"Sasuke?" Naruto growled as he wandered into yet another room. Trying to yell and whisper at the same time was actually more difficult than it sounded. "This isn't funny, Teme! Where the hell are you?"

Naruto had run back to the Uchiha compound as fast as he could- he wasn't actually sure the jerk had gone home, but he had to be _somewhere_! There was no way he could go tell Tsunade that he'd already lost Sasuke!

'_How do I explain this anyway? What happened, Granny? Well, uh, I kind'a freaked out when he kissed me- again?' _

"**Yep, that a good start, but you **_**like**_** kissing him, so why fight it?" **The demon's reply took him by surprise.

"Shut up, you pervert."

"**I'll never understand humans," **Kyuubi snorted.** "You were obsessed with that boy for three years, because you were afraid he'd forgotten all about you. Now you're angry because he wants you?"**

"That's not it! He hurt me." Naruto stopped and stared at the carpet for a moment without really seeing it. "What's so hard to understand about that?"

"**I still say mating shouldn't be this complicated."**

Naruto shuddered and continued with his search, poking his head into the silent library. "Yuck- will you stop it with that mating word? I don't _like_ him like that."

"**Then why do you suppose you get hard every time you remember kissing him? Admit it, Kit you want him."**

"Damn fox…"

"**I knew you'd see things my way."**

"Shut up I'm not admitting anything, but I do have to find him."

"**Then why don't you try sensing his chakra rather than playing hide and seek?"**

"You don't think he'd be suppressing his energy?"

"**He's fire, you're wind, and he's in a bad mood."**

"Oh yeah! That thing Granny Tsunade put on him earlier! So, uhm how do I do it?"

The Bijuu growled, but sighed a moment later. **"Find him you mean?"**

"Yeah!"

"**Didn't you learn anything about chakra when you were training with Kakashi all that time on using your wind nature to modify the Rasengan?"**

"What do you mean? What does wind chakra have to do with me finding Sasuke? He's wearing that crystal, right?"

He snorted when the demon sighed in his mind. **"He won't always have to wear it, so why use it now? The sooner you learn to sense him on your own, the easier it will be while you are on missions together."**

Naruto smiled, liking that idea very much. "Okay, so what do I do?"

"**Well, what is wind? Where is it?"**

"Air. And air is everywhere, I guess…"

"**Yes, everywhere. So, if there's air here with us, then there's probably air around him too, right?" **

"I know that! But how do I do it? I've never tried this before..."

"**First, you have to gather your chakra. Sit down and focus. The wind is wild, free and ever moving. Embrace that freedom in your mind, let it carry your spirit all over the village… but don't loose track of where you are."**

"Okay, I think I got it! Now what?"

"**Now focus on Sasuke."**

"How do I do that? It's hard to sense people when they're not fighting…"

The demon growled again. **"Back up one step. With your mind focused on wind, reach out with your chakra and find every source of fire in the village."**

"Wow… I can really feel it! A lady over in that way is lighting a candle! It feels warm!"

"**Fire always reacts to air currents by becoming stronger. Stay focused or you'll make that candle explode!" **

"I could do that? I mean- how do I find Sasuke?"

"**The Uchiha is first and foremost, fire natured. He's also has more chakra than most of the civilians combined so he ought to be easy to sense. When your chakra meets his, you should feel a surge of heat and probably a spark of electricity along with it."**

"W-Woah!" The chakra he'd felt drawn to was a searing hot storm of flame. Within that, he sensed the familiar presence of Sasuke, and he felt a tingling of static. "I… It worked!"

"**Good, so where do you think he is from here?"**

"I…" Sasuke was alone, like usual, but some place near water- where though? It hit him, all at once- "He's at the dock by the old playground!"

"**Well, what are you waiting for? Go get him."**

"Thanks, Kyuubi."

"**Don't thank me just yet. That sense works both ways, Kit. You just told him you're coming… and at least half the village knows you were looking for him, but they won't know why. Get there fast."**

**

He didn't know why he'd come here, exactly. The pond was as peaceful and beautiful as he remembered, but that only seemed to highlight the loneliness and conflicting emotions he felt right now. Perhaps he should've just gone home and taken a shower.

Never the less his thoughts were consumed by Naruto and what had happened.

'_I should've waited…'_

Like the buzzing of a pesky mosquito, he was shaken from his thoughts by chakra in the air currents around him. That chakra stirred up a strong breeze even though it didn't move any of the nearby trees. He leaped to his feet with a low growl, bracing himself for a fight. He used his chakra to search his surroundings for the unseen enemy.

He was surprised, but he relaxed, when he sensed only Naruto's chakra behind it.

The last time they'd met as enemies, the blond had not even tried to use his elemental nature. And his shaky control over it now, suggested that he was still learning how it worked and what it was capable of doing. He waited, puzzled as the chakra continued to paw at him clumsily, creating even stronger wind as if Naruto was expecting a reaction from Sasuke's own primary element.

Sasuke smirked. He was one with his first element. He was so attuned to its power that he could suppress it completely within himself- making it an even bigger shock to the enemy when he stopped using lightning and attacked with fire instead. The biggest shock of all though, was what happened when he combined the two elements...

He growled as the air stubbornly continued to stir, messing up his hair. Sasuke focused on his chakra into his hand and felt the air current warm up as it amplified the invisible force. Sasuke knew it would obliterate the old dock if he let the idiot control the energy flare, so he kept his chakra from manifesting as an actual flame, only allowing it to create warmth.

Though it was completely invisible, the sudden shift in the natural energy at the lake made several flocks of birds called out nervously as they flew away. It was worth it when the cone of wind around him finally returned to normal.

He directed his chakra to follow Naruto's back to its source and smirked, realizing that Naruto had been looking for him at his house. The sheer volume of the Dobe's chakra apparently gave him excellent range with his senses. Once he got the hang of it, Naruto would be able to sense him from almost anywhere.

Speaking of people sensing things…

He growled, as he felt more shinobi than just Naruto approaching him.

"Sasuke- I…" Naruto looked breathless as he bounded down the hill toward him, blushing nervously.

In a flurry of scattering leaves, a platoon of masked ANBU appeared behind the blond. "Naruto-kun? Is everything alright here?"

"Captain Yamato?" Naruto asked the masked team leader.

The older ninja sighed. "This is serious, Naruto. Losing him on his first day of freedom is not going to help Tsunade convince the other Kages that Sasuke has come home to stay."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but he stayed quiet, knowing that the mild scolding was meant for him too.

"Can't you give us some space? Things are weird enough around here without an armed escort!" The blond growled.

"Never mind them." Sasuke shrugged, he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away from the old dock. "Let's go get your ramen."

"Yeah! Now we're talkin'!" A smile lit up Naruto's face and Sasuke sighed as he followed his chattering best friend to his favorite little restaurant. "Hey! Guess whose back!"

"Naruto- good to see…" The old man had been facing away from the counter, and the greeting died in the old man's throat as he saw Sasuke. But the raven was the one who was surprised when the old man's smile returned brighter than ever and he held out his hand in greeting. "So it's really true! You've come home to us at last."

"Yep!" Naruto grinned watching the old man reach out his hand. It was more than he expected and it obviously made Naruto happy, so Sasuke accepted the firm handshake.

Naruto was as talkative as usual, but Sasuke could tell the blond was nervous because their eyes didn't meet- not even once as they ate.

Sasuke sighed, pushing his two bowls aside. He'd been done eating for a while, but Naruto had gone on to easily slurp down four more.

"That was great! Thanks, Sasuke! Bye Gramps see ya later!" They walked away from the Ramen stand in comfortable silence. "So, uhm what should we do now? Do you want to go say hi to some of our friends?"

"What friends?"

Naruto scowled at him. Sasuke almost laughed at his expression, but he hadn't been joking. "What do you mean?"

"I was only ever close to you and the rest of our team, Dobe."

Naruto sighed. "Well then… Hey! What about Juugo? He's been asking about you."

Sasuke thought about refusing. But Juugo had been loyal, and he'd also helped to save his life from Itachi's poison. "Hn. Where have they kept him?"

"We should visit him tomorrow, maybe after our mission. He's been helping the Nara clan watch over the deep forest. Shikamaru says he's very at home out there with the animals and they haven't had any trouble with his temper."

Sasuke nodded. "It's fighting that upsets him."

"So he's one of the people you met because of Orochimaru?"

Sasuke nodded even though he didn't really want to talk about the past.

"Who were the other two people that I saw you with in the forest that day?"

"Suigetsu and Karin."

"And?"

Sasuke growled. "And what?

Naruto sighed. "I want to know why did you choose them to help you. Can't we just talk?"

"I've always preferred it when you do most of the talking…"

"Really?"

Sasuke nodded, smirking as he pretended not to notice the blush that had spread across Naruto's cheeks. "They were misfits who didn't belong anywhere else."

"What? You're not a misfit! Your home has always been here!"

"Home?" Sasuke stopped in the middle of the street and glared at him. "Is that a joke? Look around you!"

Naruto looked guilty as he realized they were already in the Uchiha district. The street was dark, deserted and silent. There were no brightly colored signs lit up, no people walking around- talking or just enjoying the late afternoon sunshine- just rows of forgotten buildings with cracked paint and broken windows.

"Teme! If this isn't home to you, then why did you come back?"

"You know why," Sasuke growled softly.

"No, and don't play with me right now! I need to know. What the hell did you come back for?"

"You."

Naruto's eyes widened. Sakura had told him that Sasuke had come back for him alone, but he wasn't ready to believe it… "Me? What do you mean?"

"You held on, even when I thought I wanted you to hate me."

"Of course I held on! You're my best friend, Teme! But, why would you want me to hate you?"

"What do you mean why? You're a pain in the ass! But I-"

Naruto growled and shoved him back. "Well excuse me for not being a heartless asshole like you. Do you even remember how many times you tried to protect me when we were first teamed up?"

"Yes, I remember, that's why I needed to know you'd be safe!"

By now, Naruto's expression was confused. "From what?"

"Itachi was part of Akatsuki, you dumbass! They're still out there and they're hunting **you**- even now! Why in the fuck do you think the council was so quick to agree that you should be teamed up with me and spend the next six months pulling weeds, mending fences and chasing the Lord's wife's cat?"

"But why did you have to go without saying goodbye?"

"I knew you'd try to stop me." Sasuke looked around at the silent buildings. "You know, I felt relieved when I left this place; because I really thought they'd finally tear it all down and build something useful here. I feel safe in these shadows, because the ghosts are my family, but I still hate the silence."

"You wanted-" Naruto looked guilty for a moment, but then he jumped when a piece of a sign across the street fell off of its hinges. Naruto froze like a startled puppy and stared over there, wide eyed as if he expected to see something watching them. "W-Wait! Did you just say t-there's still ghosts here?"

Sasuke growled and walked toward his house, but Naruto grabbed onto his arm and looked around nervously.

"…"

"Sasuke- I'm serious! Are there really ghosts here?"

"Get the hell off of me, I need a shower."

Naruto grinned and started sniffing before he gave him a playful shove. "Yeah, definitely."

Since he hadn't let go, Sasuke smirked and leaned into him, practically purring. "Since you obviously need one too why don't we just take one together? You're already crawling all over me anyway."

"Damn- Teme!" Naruto blushed and quickly backed off. "I can't tell if you're serious or just kidding anymore!"

Sasuke knew what he meant, but he decided to play dumb anyway, just in case the Dobe refused to bring it up again. "Kidding about what?"

"Like when we were sparring and you- you kissed me that was-"

"Forget it." Sasuke interrupted, surprising himself.

"I can't!" Naruto said, holding onto his arm. "You said we'd talk about it later, well it's later right now! So I'm not going to let you run away this time."

"Idiot. I'm not the one who is running from the truth, Naruto." He snapped. "There's _**always**_ been more between us than friendship and you know it."

"More than friendship? What does that even mean? I've always been the first one to say that you're everything to me, Teme! You're best friend, my teammate- you've always been the closest thing I'll ever have to a-"

To keep Naruto from finishing that sentence, Sasuke captured his lips; kissing him hard and passionately. He pushed Naruto up against the outer wall of his family's estate, and put his knee between his thighs. The friction between their bodies was even better than it had been that morning. But this time, as he became aroused, Naruto tried almost franticly to push him away, but Sasuke chose that moment to soften their kisses, but he kept his hips tight against Naruto's, grinding against him slowly. They kissed until they were both breathless and Naruto was writhing against him.

"Don't say it. I don't want another family- not yet." Sasuke growled against Naruto's lips. He let his eyes show just how much he wanted the blond. "I just want _you_."

"Me?" Naruto blushed but quickly looked away. "B-But I… you're a guy!"

"Sakura didn't tell you I prefer it that way? That figures…"

He snorted at Naruto's horrified and rather angry expression, but the blond was unable to form words for so long that Sasuke growled. "Obviously it doesn't bother you when we're kissing- so why point it out now?"

"But-"

Sasuke wanted to yell at him, but he purred instead, leaning closer to the blond, using his body to remind Naruto that they were both still quite hard. Naruto whimpered, closing his eyes, but he bucked his hips encouragingly when Sasuke let their lips brush together. That silky touch became a sweet kiss that deepened slowly as they tasted each other. This time there was no teasing involved. It was pure emotion- everything that Sasuke felt but couldn't bring himself to say, he poured into this sensual kiss. Their tongues danced gracefully, softly caressing and exploring.

"S-Sas'ke…" Naruto broke the kiss to breathe.

"You know I didn't come back here just to 'fit in' with everyone else," Sasuke purred softly, sucking lazily on the velvety soft skin of his ear. "Touching you like this feels right to me, _Na-ru-to_."

Naruto nodded and pulled him into another breathless kiss.

Sasuke smirked, he was happy just to respond, because that Naruto had finally kissed him this time. Everything seemed perfect- the slick, wet heat of their kisses, and the friction between their bodies; it would've been a perfect precursor to what he'd been craving with Naruto for so long. But he knew that using the pleasure to seduce him tonight would only confuse and frighten Naruto even more after the moment was over. Yes, he wanted the blond, but he could never be content to have him just once. Naruto was his match in spirit and determination; he had to be allowed to choose this for himself he'd never trust him this much again.

So, even though he didn't want to, Sasuke broke the kiss, and drank in the sight of Naruto's crystal blue eyes, all clouded over with desire as awareness returned. Naruto blushed, but Sasuke nuzzled him gently then he moved away, toward the gate the lead to his house. "I think we've fought too hard to accept being confined now, by what other people think is right."

"W-Wait! What about tomorrow? We can't just-"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'll meet you tomorrow morning at the missions desk."

"Meet there… But what about all those movies we were going to watch tonight?" Naruto looked relieved, but he was still hesitating; clearly he didn't want to leave- even though he didn't look sure that he wanted to stay either.

"We'll watch them later." Sasuke shrugged carelessly even though he still wanted to drag the blond to bed with him, he knew that wouldn't be fair to Naruto.

"I… okay. Goodnight then!" Naruto bounded up over the rooftops, after a weak smile, and Sasuke suddenly wondered if letting him leave was the right thing to do…

"Your pet human didn't follow you home this time?"

"He's not a pet, Angel…" Sasuke leaned down and picked up the kitten where she was sitting on the front porch. "I love him."

She responded by purring as he petted her silky fur, but Sasuke hardly noticed the quiet in the house that night, because his thoughts were with Naruto across town.

**

Sasuke was at the Mission desk right on time, and everyone stared at him. He growled, and the curious shinobi waiting to see the Hokage, including Chouji and Ten Ten both high-tailed it out of the room with grins on their faces. Shikamaru was too lazy to leave, but he didn't seem to be in the mood to talk either, so Sasuke settled down to wait. He felt self conscious because he was wearing more of his father's clothes. Since he had no idea what kind of mission they'd be assigned, so he opted for light wind pants and a tee-shirt with the matching jacket with the Uchiha fan on the back, all in dark blue.

Seconds ticked by, dragging into minutes, until it became obvious that Naruto was late. That worried him- what if the blond was more upset than he'd thought.

"Outta the way! Hi Sakura-chan!" Sasuke smirked when he heard the blond's calls echoing toward them as he ran through the halls. "Can't talk now, I'm late!"

Naruto looked sheepish as he barged in, still tugging on his jacket. He grinned at Tsunade, but blushed and looked at the floor instead of at Sasuke. "Sorry, my alarm clock is broken- or maybe I just forgot to set it last night. I didn't really have time to check..."

"Well, now that Naruto is finally here, I can tell you two what you'll be doing today." The Hokage smirked. "Mr. Yashida is a friend of mine, who owns the biggest racing stable in the Fire Country, and he's having trouble finding people to take care of his race horses. You two are going to the stable to do chores for him. Even though it's technically outside of the village, I can't send any of the younger Genin teams because a number of his horses are temperamental stallions and one of them bit Moegi just two days ago. But I think you two can handle yourselves."

"We get to go outside?"

"As long as the two of you stick together, listen to Mr. Yashida and do a good job, I don't see why not. Give this to the gate keepers who are on duty and here's a map. The farm is just ten miles to the left of the village's main gate. Oh, and, Sasuke- you'll need this."

As he turned around, Tsunade tossed him a new forehead protector; it was dark blue, but it had extra long ties like Naruto's. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Alright then, get to work."

Sasuke tied the new brow band into place and the two of them were quiet as they headed toward the gate.

"That seems weird- I've never noticed a horse farm outside of the village before…"

"They probably don't keep any of their horses in the paddocks that you can see from the road. There'd be too much danger of them being stolen, even if the farm is close to the village. The more valuable the horses are, the closer they will be kept close to the barns at all times."

"How do you know that?"

Sasuke shrugged. "If they were my race horses, I would keep them where I could see them. She's probably making the ninja do chores for this guy because she owes _him_ money."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, Dobe, people gamble on horse races, right? She probably found out he was rich and borrowed money from him and now she can't pay it back."

They reached a rise in the trail and at the top of it, looked down where a large farm with a lot of horses grazed quietly in fields. There were three long barns and a couple of smaller buildings. There was also a big oval of dirt beside one of the barns. Naruto was shocked; it was the biggest farm he'd ever seen, stretching from one tree line to the other, it was surrounded by the forest. "This must be it."

"Yep, let's go. There's no telling what kind of chores they'll have in a place this big."

"Do you suppose we'll get to ride any of the horses?"

Sasuke snorted. "They probably just want us here to scoop the poop."

"Aww man! I better not step in any…"

**Author's Note**: I started this chapter quite a while before the Toad Sage came to teach Naruto about Sage chakra. I know the adorable frog will show up in this fic later, but for right now, who better to talk to Naruto about natural chakra than a creature who is completely composed of it.

I'm working toward Naruto/Kyuubi developing a friendlier relationship, I figured this would help.


	12. Meeting the Past

Chapter 12

"Ino, could you bring me the HCI?" Sakura said, stirring the delicate mixture without looking up from her hand written recipe.

"Fine, but you have to tell me…" The long haired blonde grinned slyly.

"Tell you what? We're making-"

"Haruno Sakura, you know damn well what I'm talking about and it _isn't_ medical research!"

Sakura growled but then blushed when she looked up and finally noticed the look Ino was giving her.

"Yeah, _that_. So," Ino giggled. "Come on spill it, you've had him back for over a month already! Any plans for a date with tall, dark and-"

"N-No…"

Ino did a double-take and her smile disappeared. "Seriously?"

Sakura sighed and took a shaky breath. "Sasuke and I are friends- but that's really it…"

"That's it?" Ino sounded dubious. "You guys found him half-dead after his fight with Itachi and you saved him, but that's it?"

"It has to be. He's… in love with someone else."

Ino sighed, "I guess Naruto better take good care of him for you then, huh?"

Sakura gasped, "How did you-"

Ino grinned. "You're asking me that after the way you found them? Besides, I heard you tell Shizune a long time ago that Sasuke was always too busy picking on Naruto to pay attention to you at all. Boys usually just pick on the person they have a crush on- I guess we probably should've seen it sooner!"

Sakura sighed sadly. She'd figured it out the night Sasuke left her unconscious- she just hadn't been ready to accept it…

"Do you know if they've done anything yet?"

Sakura squawked, almost knocking her mixture off the stovetop. "What?"

"Sasuke's always been the perfect guy. But Naruto has really grown up too- you can't tell me that you forgot to notice how gorgeous he is! So, I want to know. Do you think they've done anything yet?"

"No way!" Sakura shook her head. Then she remembered that Naruto had planned to stay at Sasuke's only a few weeks ago and instead he'd arrived late to the mission desk quite a while after Sasuke was already there…

Not to mention, that Naruto hadn't stayed all night at Sasuke's since then…

"What is it?"

"Maybe something did happen that night."

Ino squealed. "I knew it!"

"No! I mean I'm a little worried, Naruto seemed upset, and nothing has been quite the same since that day. Things have been- I don't know, weirdly quiet but more tense than ever."

Ino giggled. "He's always been obsessed with Sasuke-kun but two hot guys getting together? Come on, that has to be pretty weird for them- especially since Naruto used to have a crush on you."

Sakura sighed. "I was so mean to him too… I want to help them- but how?"

"I'll finish this, you go talk to Naruto."

"You?" Sakura eyed her suspiciously. "Why are you so eager to 'help'?"

"Well I'd rather do the talking; but if he's going to talk to anyone about Sasuke this soon, it'd be you. You're his teammate, after all."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am, now go- _but_ you have to bring me details!"

"Okay, I'll try! Thanks, Ino!"

Sakura walked out of the medical lab and took off the mixing garments that protected her regular clothes, carefully putting them into a hamper so they could be washed, sorted and reused later.

"Sakura? You're done with the medicine for Juugo already?"

"Shikamaru- no! Not yet- I mean, we've altered the mixture, but Ino is going to finish this batch for me. I've gotta talk to Naruto! What are you doing here anyway?"

"It's troublesome, but Tsunade-sama has about half the shinobi in town looking for your team's captain right now."

"Kakashi-sensei? Why?"

"Dunno, Shizune didn't say. But I've already checked all of his usual haunts, so I've got a hunch that Kakashi must be doing some unofficial recon. I was wondering if you had any ideas where he might be?"

"Naruto and Sasuke have been busy with missions all day, maybe he's hanging around the Uchiha district- or…"

"Or what?"

"Well, Shizune and Tsunade-sama have been talking a lot about a man named Danzou lately, maybe he's watching him?"

"Troublesome Jounin… Thanks, Sakura."

"Let him know I'm looking for him too, when you find him-"

Shikamaru shook his head. "You won't be able to force him to talk to Sasuke. You know that, right?"

Sakura blushed, "I know- I just think…"

"Sasuke hurt a lot of people in this village; it will take time for some of them to decide to accept him or not. Kakashi was supposed to be in charge so I'm sure he has more regrets than anyone else in the village. Give him time."

"Shika-"

He shook his head slowly, cutting her off. "I'm glad the Uchiha's back for your sake, and for Naruto's. But I failed my first mission as a Chuunin because of him, so I'm not ready to honestly forgive him yet either."

He'd said yet! In spite of everything, that gave her hope so Sakura smiled as she watched him walk toward the door with a slight smirk. "Anyway, it's troublesome, but make sure you stop at the Tower before you go talk to Naruto."

"I will! Good luck finding Kakashi!"

Sakura hurried from the hospital to the Hokage tower.

"That was quick!" Shizune smiled, then she looked puzzled. "But where is Ino?"

"She's finishing up the serum; I need to talk to Naruto…"

"I see. Come with me, Tsunade-sama wanted to talk to both of us privately."

"Okay, but why?" Shizune didn't answer as Sakura knocked on Tsunade's office door.

"Come in, and shut the door."

Shizune looked grim and Sakura found herself getting nervous.

"Kabuto's been sighted within the Fire Country."

Sakura gasped but Shizune put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about him; the ANBU who sent the messenger bird believes he's moving north very quickly, probably back toward Sound."

Tsunade nodded. "We have other problems right now. Hoshigaki Kisame is alive. He's has now been sighted twice in the Lightning Country with a familiar costume, but a new partner. Shizune's work revealed that all of the corpses recovered from the battle site where Juugo was found, are just decoys."

Sakura's eyes widened but she didn't know what to say. "R-Really? But how? They-"

"I hope to find out shortly." Tsunade said. "I wanted to dissect Kisame myself, but I have my hands full with Danzou and the Elders, not to mention three of the Kages-"

"Teme! I can't believe this!" They heard outside the door.

Naruto was shouting at someone as they walked up the stairs outside. "Are you kidding me? After all that, this stupid furball takes one look at you with your freaky eyes and she jumps into your arms and starts purring? What the hell are you- some sort of a magnet for demon cats?"

"Dobe. The Kyuubi frightens Tora. As for Angel? I warned you not to tease her with chicken."

Tsunade smirked, shaking her head a bit. "I guess Sasuke and Naruto have arrived…"

Sakura giggled at their bantering too.

"Don't be a jerk; you know other animals can't sense it."

"Tora is a Ninja cat- she's just never been trained."

"Yeah right, what kind of an idiot trains cats anyway? Aren't they too lazy to learn anything useful?"

"It depends on what mood they're in…"

"Teme, what kind of an answer is that?" Naruto knocked but opened the door and walked in, looking pretty scratched up. "Hey Granny, what's up?"

Sasuke came in too; he was holding a surprisingly calm and adorable Tora. Madam Shijimi's cat was purring so loudly while Sasuke petted her fur that even Sakura found herself gaping at him.

Tsunade smiled wryly. "Lady Shijimi will be thrilled that her cat has been caught so quickly today, but that wasn't your mission..."

"Tell that to psycho-kitty over there!" Naruto growled. "I was just trying to relax after all those terrible missions you set us up with this morning and that _thing_ knocked over my ice cream! I wasn't even trying to catch her but she attacked me anyway and then he looks at her with the Sharingan and the little brat hasn't stopped purring since!"

"How can you hate cats?" Sakura demanded.

Naruto snorted. "I don't mind regular cats, but these so-called Ninja cats are crazier than the Fuzzball locked inside me…"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned to Tsunade. "Why are we here?"

"The people who helped you track down Itachi after you left Sound village, you once told Ibiki that one of them was a medical ninja, correct?"

Sasuke seemed puzzled but nodded. "Karin. But she's dead."

"We assumed so, but Hoshigaki Kisame has been sighted very much alive, by two reliable informants currently stationed in the Lightning Country. Tell me everything you know about this girl."

Sasuke scowled. "She was called a medical ninja but that was only because she oversaw the experiments when Orochimaru and Kabuto were not at the South base. An injured person had to bite her to use her healing ability."

"Bite her?" Sakura was astonished.

"Yes, bite her and suck out her chakra."

"Seriously? That's sounds kinky- like the weird lady with the creepy hair! Remember Sakura, the one who kept trying to give me her stupid kiss of death!" Naruto laughed.

Sakura nodded, but Sasuke was trying to ignore both of them. "Sound had many medical ninja. I chose Karin for her unique ability to sense chakra. Without ever meeting him, she led me right to my brother."

"But based on her position of being in charge, is it possible that you don't know the full extent of her medical training?"

Sasuke nodded. "She could recite the files of everyone that Orochimaru and his underlings ever brought to her lab. But just tell me- exactly what do you want to know?"

"Kisame and your former allies are still alive. But this means Kabuto has either personally joined Akatsuki or he taught at least one of Orochimaru's underlings to use a rare, long forbidden technique that he learned here, in this village."

"I see."

"I don't…" Naruto groused, nudging Sakura.

"Dobe." Sasuke snorted. "She means the battle site wasn't real- but Akatsuki intentionally left Juugo behind."

"What? Why would they do that?"

Sakura noticed that no one answered Naruto's question, but Tsunade and Sasuke both looked uncomfortable and seemed lost in their private thoughts. "Don't worry, Naruto, we'll find out what's going on."

"Alright brats, you can go, you too, Sakura. I'll see that Tora-chan gets back to her mistress." Tsunade said.

Sakura nodded followed her teammates outside; wondering how she could get Naruto alone to talk to him.

* * *

'_They're alive?' _There was a growing knot of confusion in his stomach. _'Karin and Suigetsu are helping Akatsuki?'_

"Hey- Sasuke?"

He looked up at Sakura, keeping his expression blank. "What?"

"I need to talk to Naruto. Can we catch up to you later?"

He nodded and jumped onto a neighboring rooftop. They were his best friends, but he had plenty to think about and he didn't want to answer their endless questions. Right now, he had too many of his own…

He walked down Market Street, wondering if they had joined Akatsuki willingly or if they'd been forced into leaving with them…

"Hey! Isn't that-"

"Yeah," Another hissed, pausing with her broom to scowl at him. "That's him- the traitor."

Sasuke kept walking but growled.

"Shh!" Someone else gasped.

He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't resist the temptation to play with them a little… He was an Uchiha, after all. He was made to stand out and he wasn't the scared, relatively innocent kid he'd been when he left this village. While he was in Sound he'd learned to secretly enjoy some of the notoriety he'd lived with so quietly as a child.

"He'll hear you."

"Rather late to be worrying about _that_, don't you think?" Sasuke purred. The expressions of terror on their faces were priceless as the three women turned and realized he was now leaning on the wall behind them.

The three gossipers scattered like frightened children and he smirked as he moved on.

Others along the street watched him distrustfully- some even turned the signs in their windows to say they were closed. He snorted and walked around the corner and then decided to head back home- though this time, he moved across the rooftops.

He couldn't admit it, but he liked having Naruto to distract him from the stares and hostile gossip. This time, all the gossip was about his departure, but Konoha was still every bit as lonely as the place he left years ago...

He leapt onto the wall but paused when heard a noise behind him. He turned, and found himself looking down at the shop his Aunt and Uncle owned. The door was open, and the noise he'd heard was only the wind bumping it against a broken piece of wood caught in the doorway.

He shivered, and looked away; turning to leave, but he hated that noise. Time had been kind to the buildings in his neighborhood- but that was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because part of him didn't want to see anymore of the buildings fall into greater disrepair- but he hated the constant reminder that now he truly was the last of his clan.

The door clattered into the broken piece of wood once more and Sasuke sighed as he jumped down to close the door. As he approached the door, he felt a familiar presence and he stopped.

"Hello Uncle," He said softly.

No one answered of course, but he didn't need the Sharingan to know that the energy he felt was the old man's.

A whisper of chakra ruffled his hair and he felt a tear slip down his cheek. "Aunt Uruchi…"

Again, there was no answer, but he knew that their spirits were listening. "I did it. I killed him, just like I said I would…"

"Hey!" Naruto called, trotting along the wall toward him.

"What did Sakura want?"

The blush that spread over Naruto's cheeks was so adorable that Sasuke decided to pretend he hadn't noticed it when the Dobe changed the subject. "N-Nothing… What are you doing over there?"

"I'll show you."

Naruto's expression was puzzled, but he didn't hesitate. "Show me what?"

"I'm… going to show you something."

"Okay." Naruto grinned, looking around at the empty street. "But what is it?"

Shut up," There was no heat in the words, so Naruto's expression remained a confused grin.

With the Sharingan active, everything was sharper and more focused- except for the chakra of the two indistinct spirits. They were weak in chakra, and resembled the smoke that dances around the flame of a candle.

Naruto stiffened as Sasuke shared his vision with him by putting a hand on his arm.

"W-What is this? What's going on?" Naruto looked around wildly for a moment but didn't pull away. "Hey… what's with the weird blue smoke in the middle of the street?"

Sasuke smirked. He knew the idiot would notice it eventually.

"You asked me once about the ghosts…"

"G-Ghosts? These are- wait! You said they were your family… you mean you know them?"

Sasuke nodded sadly. "The one over there is my Uncle Teyaki. This is my Aunt Uruchi."

"That's amazing- and I'm not scared."

"They were always kind to me…"

"Hey! If you could do this, how come you didn't do it before?"

"They're not always active, you know."

"Really? But ghosts can do whatever they want in the movies so why-"

Sasuke growled and walked away.

"Hey wait! I'm sorry! I shouldn't be so curious," Naruto wrapped his arms around him from behind and hugged him tightly. "You still really miss them, huh? I want to meet them all with you someday."

"Most of the clan is gone- or at least I've never seen them."

"What do you mean?"

"I've never seen my parents or my Uncles Yashiro, Tekka or Inabi…"

"But why? I mean your parents were strong ninjas, right? Why wouldn't they want to see you too?"

Sasuke shrugged. "They must've been sealed after Itachi…"

"But that doesn't make any sense. Why would someone seal your parents and the other ninjas but not your whole clan?"

As a child who didn't understand what'd happened or why, he'd wondered about that so many times that he was just tired of thinking about it. But now? Now the confusion he heard in Naruto's voice made him consider the question too…

Instinct told him it wasn't a coincidence, and while he'd known since that night that something was very wrong in the village. He glanced at Naruto. "I don't know, but I think I know who to ask tomorrow…"

* * *

**Author's Note**: I know that ghosts aren't considered canon, but I'm a firm believer in spirits and I find it impossible to believe that there isn't anything hanging around the compound after what Itachi did…


End file.
